The control of quality on construction sites

Many organisations within the construction sector have, in recent years, obtained or decided to work towards obtaining third party certification for quality assurance to BS 5750/ISO 9000. However, while obtaining ISO 9000 certification has been shown to have significant benefits, concerns were still being voiced over the levels of end-product quality that were being achieved on site. This guide examines the ways in which contractors actually control the quality of site operations and to identify, if they existed, common procedures that were shown to have beneficial effects on the control of quality. Four large civil engineering and building contractors took part in a survey of sites and follow-up interviews to ascertain the links between site management and the success in controlling the site processes to ensure quality of the finished product. This guide presents the results of these investigations and is aimed both at contractors and clients or their representatives.