Understanding ISO standards

The present development strategies throughout the world demands formal quality management system as a necessary attribute for any business. The main objective of quality management system is to ensure that the management system to be proficient
  • Professionally
  • Operationally
  • Commercially
  • Contractually
When talking about the history of evolution of quality management systems; a large number of national standards were developed as a part of quality assurance in 1970s in the area of manufacturing, military and in industries. Later this was extended to service industries and professional organization.
But it was difficult to implement in the services that were granted by the building professionals like the engineers, architects, quantity surveyors. As it is not related to a product that is obtained from a manufacturing unit.
In order to develop formal quality management systems in construction industry, quality assurance and related are registered with certified bodies. They seek third party certification based on the ISO 9000 quality standards.
Among the ISO standards, the most relevant quality management system to be implemented in the case of a building professional is the ISO 9001. For contracting organizations, ISO 9002 is more relevant.
ISO 9000 in Construction Industry

Understanding ISO standards

The quality management systems comprise the following standards.
1. ISO 9000: This section gives the guidance to select and use the Quality management and quality assurance standards
2. ISO 9001: This standard section helps in specifying quality assurance in different production stages. These stages include design, development, production, installing and the final service.
3. ISO 9002: This specifically deal with the quality assurance in the production and installation stage of the task.
4. ISO 9003: Quality assurance in the final stage i.e. the final inspection and testing stage is guided by the standard.
5. ISO 9004: Quality management and quality system elements is dealt by this standard. This form the last part of the ISO 9000 series.
The ISO 9000 standard helps in documenting quality procedures by providing accepted accounting principles.
Generally, the certification is given for two quality standards for a constructionorganization. They are:

Certification to ISO 9001

This certificate is provided for companies who carry out design activities as the major business operation. These companies carry out the design, development, production, installation and the final servicing.

Certification to ISO 9002

These are provided for the companies that does not carry out design activities. This includes production and installation.
There are twenty different areas a company have to focus and pass in order to get certified as a ISO 9001 certified company.

Interpretation of ISO 9001

To get a construction industry ISO certified, the following 20 requirements determined by the standard must satisfied:
  1. Management Responsibility
  2. Quality System
  3. Review of Contracts
  4. Control of Design
  5. Control of Documents
  6. Purchasing
  7. Purchaser Supplied Product
  8. Identification of Product and the traceability
  9. Process Control
  10. Inspection and the testing
  11. Inspection, measurement and equipment testing
  12. Status of Inspection and the test
  13. Control of products that are non-conforming
  14. Corrective action
  15. Handling, storing, packaging and the delivery
  16. Quality records
  17. Internal quality system auditing
  18. Training
  19. Servicing
  20. Statistical Techniques

Management Responsibility

A clear idea on the quality policy must be stated by the firm to the management. Well defined responsibilities and duties must be established on the staff members who are involved in the quality management.
The management must also ensure that for the verification of the performance activities, the resources and the personnel are available when needed.
The quality manager must be given the right and authority by top management to bring up decision that will affect the quality of the services that is carried out within the organization.
The continuing suitability and the effectiveness of the organization is ensured by having periodic review of the quality system of the firm.

Quality System

The quality system practiced and to be practiced must be documented in the organization. This help in ensuring that the services are carried out properly and consistently.
The documentation of the quality system includes the following:
  • The policy manual
  • Manual for general procedure
  • Management procedure manual
  • Technical Procedure manual
  • Other document that specifies details of brief services that have influence in the quality system

Review of Contracts

This requirement forces the firm to make a project plan. This must undergo periodic project reviews which help in having service that accord with the client’s current contractual, administrative and the financial requirements.
This help in the service to be compatible, clearly defined and documented. Pre-planning of the service is made which ensures the adequate resources and the support.

Control of Design

The design services and other work taken by the firm includes:
  • Services to be provided are identified along with the identification of initial procurement and the advice for contract.
  • The contractual and the financial administrative arrangements of the project are determined
  • For the performance and verification of services maintenance and the procedure for operating must be provided
Other areas of concern will include are in the:
  • Service design and the development planning. Every project must have a project plan specifying the number of staffs and the responsible performance for each activity. Every key project decision has to be identified.
  • All internal and external data that are considered for the project developed is marked and documented as project data. Ambiguities and conflicting requirements are resolved.
  • The work procedure and the documentation in the standard form will influence the preparation of project organization proposals.
  • Qualified and experienced staffs will carry out the verification process of the service design.
  • Any change in the service design have to be identified and documented. All change must undergo a review. They are accepted only after formal verification and approval.

Control of Documents

An approved format of the quality system and the related documents must be presented. This will enable in:
  • Identifying and monitoring the service with respect to status
  • The issuing and controlling will be done through approved persons
  • Prior to the issue, it will review for appropriateness
These quality documents can be issues and made available for the staff members who are involved the quality management system. The documents that are obsolete will be removed immediately.

Purchasing

In situations, necessary for special work requirements, a firm shall maintain a register of specialist firm. Based on which personnel can be appointed based on the ability to provide the required service.
The documents relating to the subcontractors can have the details of such specialist firms. The document will include:
  • The work scope which is to be undertaken
  • The performance level standards
  • Quality control expected from the specialty subcontractors

Purchaser Supplied Product

Details regarding the information given by the client, agents, and the consultants must be recorded by the firm. This include the instructions, drawings, specification, minutes of meetings, schedules etc.

Identification of Product and the traceability

A standardized system to identify, revise and control the project documents must be maintained by the firm. The project documents must be stored such that easy retrieval and traceability is possible.

Process Control

The firm must ensure that the activities that conforms to the quality is done based on the documented work procedures that is implemented by the firm. For special activities, continuous monitoring must be carried out.

Inspection and the testing

This is dealt with the documents that are provided by the other organizations. These documents must be verified as per the client supplied information. The work carried out by the firm must be verified at predetermined stages of the project

Inspection, measurement and equipment testing

The inspection and the testing of the measuring equipment must be conducted in the sound condition. This must be done with utmost accuracy to ensure the quality in the service.

Status of Inspection and the test

Inspection and the examination of the documents and the service that are provided must be done at every stage of the project.

Control of products that are non-conforming

Those work that is non-conforming must be identified. Those document that do not comply with the requirements specifies have to be prevented.

Corrective action

Wherever a deficiency is identified there must be certain procedures that have to be maintained by the firm to correct it. There must be a means to review any sort of non conformance “feedback” system in the construction organization.

Handling, storing, packaging and the delivery

The products that are outgoing must be properly addressed. They must show no chances to bring any damage.

Quality records

The firm must have the following storage of:
  • Project information that will include all the project quality record that is meant to meet the requirements of the client.
  • The records of administration of the quality system

Internal quality system auditing

The review of all the aspects of the quality system of the firm is done through periodic internal audits. This will show that the quality system is effectively used by the firm.

Training

The firm must identify the need for training for the individuals who are working for quality working system. It is recommended that the professional staff must undertake a minimum training attendance for continuing professional development that is put forward by the firm.
The details of the staff qualification, training, and their experience have to be recorded.

Servicing

All the services provided by the firm to the client must be documented.

Statistical Techniques

Random sample techniques can be carried out for the quality control and monitoring of the activities. The quality level can be determined early through the sampling frequency.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

40+ Construction Tools List with Images for Building Construction

Image
Construction tools list for building construction works such as concrete, brick masonry, leveling, wood works, floor works, slab works, brick laying, plastering etc. is provided. Every construction tool is necessary to achieve good results in the whole project. Along with these tools, the workers should also use some safety tools to prevent them from the unexpected accidents. Construction Tools List for Building Construction Some important construction tools and their uses are listed below: Bolster Boning rod Brick hammer Bump cutter/screed Chisel Circular saw Concrete mixer Cordless drill Crowbar Digging bar End frames Float Gloves Hand saw Helmet Hoe Iron pan Jack plane Ladder Line and pins Mason’s square Measuring box Measuring tape Measuring wheel Pick axe Plumb bob Plumb rule Polishers Putty knife Rammer Rubber Boots Safety glasses Safety helmet Sand screen machine Scratchers Sledge hammer Spade Spirit level Straight edge brushes Til
Read more

Building Materials properties and their Importance in Construction

Image
Building materials or construction materials are the major requirement in this modern age of technology. There are many types of building materials used for different construction works. Properties of Building Materials For a material to be considered as building material, it should have required engineering properties suitable for construction works. These properties of building materials are responsible for its quality and capacity and helps to decide applications of these material. Such properties of building materials are categorized as follows. Physical properties Mechanical properties Chemical properties Electrical properties Magnetic properties Thermal properties Physical Properties of Building Materials These are the properties required to estimate the quality and condition of the material without any external force. The physical properties of engineering materials are as follows. Bulk density Porosity Durability Density Density index Specific gravity
Read more

How to Prevent Errors During Setting Out Building Plan on Ground?

Image
Setting out building plan on ground is one of the most significant steps in building constructions and any errors at this stage would cause considerable problems, if it is not tackled immediately. Errors During Setting Out Building Plan on Ground There are different types of errors that might be made when a structure is set out for example gross errors, systematic errors and random errors. These errors should be prevented and there are some measures to tackle these issues. These measures will be discussed in the following sections. Fig.1: Setting Out of Building Plan on Ground Fig.2: Setting Out Building Plan on Ground How to Prevent Errors During Setting Out of Building? Following are the different types of control that should be carried out to prevent any errors during setting out building plan on ground: Good practice in office On site control Equipment and staff Checks Marking the ground Use of grid offset Good Practice in Office To successfully set
Read more

Factors Affecting Selection of Foundation for Buildings?

Image
Factors which affect selection of foundation for a building can be many from the soil conditions to the type of structure and loads from the building. All the factors are considered during selection of foundation for durable building construction. Factors Affecting Selection of Foundation Following are the factors which affect the selection of suitable foundations for building construction: Loads from building Type of soil Type of structures in neighborhood Type of foundations 1. Loads from Building The first factor considered is loads from building on the foundation. This load is a combination of dead load and imposed loads on the buildings. Other loads such as wind loads, earthquake loads, snow loads etc. are also considered based on location. The quantity of loads depends on the type of structure, number of floors and material of construction. As the number of floors increases, the dead load and imposed loads also increase. Choice of material for construction su
Read more

Ceiling types used in Building Construction and their Applications

Image
Various types of ceiling are used in building construction. Applications, aesthetics, advantages and disadvantages of these types of ceilings are discussed in this article. The ceiling of a building form one of the most important structural elements it terms of functionality as well as creativity which in turn bring good aesthetics to the building interior. This document would help you understand ceilings that in turn would help you understand the most suitable options while undertaking either repair or renovation work of our building interior. The ceiling gains a definition, ” A part of a building which encloses and is exposed overhead in a room, protected shaft or circulation space.” It helps us to create an enclosure and separation between spaces. They provide perfect lighting in the room by controlling diffusion of light. It also controls the sound around a room by making the room sound proof. It, therefore, stops the passage of sound between the rooms. Now ceiling also po
Read more

WHAT IS VOLUME BATCHING OF CONCRETE AND HOW IT IS DONE IN FIELD?

Image
WHAT IS VOLUME BATCHING OF CONCRETE? Batching of concrete means measuring different ingredients of concrete (i.e. cement, sand, coarse aggregate and water) before mixing it. When this measurement is done on the basis of volume, we call it  Volume Batching . Below are mentioned some of important points to remember before adopting volume batching method in field. Volume batching is not a good method for measuring concrete materials. It is not applicable in case of reinforced concrete structure. This method of concrete batching may not be economical. It can be only used for unimportant concrete or for small concrete works. HOW VOLUME BATCHING IS DONE IN FIELD? Before batching concrete ingredients in terms of volume, we need to know two things. What is the relative proportion of concrete ingredients in terms of volume? What is the water-cement ratio? After knowing these two things you can proceed to batch concrete ingredients in field. The table shown below can be
Read more

HOW TO DETERMINE DEPTH OF FOUNDATION

Image
Many factors affects the determination of depth of foundation. Calculation for foundation depth is done based on type of soil, ground water table, loads from structure, bearing capacity of soil and other factors. General factors to be considered for determining depth of foundation are: 1. Load applied from structure to the foundation 2. Bearing capacity of soil 3. Depth of water level below the ground surface 4. Types of soil and depth of layers in case of layered soil 5. Depth of adjacent foundation The minimum depth of foundation should be considered to ensure that the soil is having the required safe bearing capacity as assumed in the design. However, it is advised to carry out soil investigation before deciding on depth of foundation. Soil investigation report will suggest the foundation depth based on the type of structure, soil properties, depth of water table, and all other variable that should be considered. Soil investigation report provides bearing capacity of
Read more

Construction Project Management Softwares

Image
Construction PM Software A new wave of web and cloud apps are streamlining communication, simplifying document management, and improving efficiency in construction management.  Here are some of top construction management tools: Smartsheet Smartsheet  is a spreadsheet-inspired work management tool with robust collaboration and communication features. With pre-built construction templates, it’s easy to create a timeline, track progress, manage documents, and organize the details. Gantt charts are automatically created and auto-adjust every time a change is made, so you can share the most up-to-date timeline with team members or stakeholders. You can upload files from your computer, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, Evernote, or add a web URL, creating a central repository for all project documentation and contracts. Team members can have discussions directly in the sheet and set reminders and alerts, so everyone is on the same page. And lastly, Smartsheet integrates with ot
Read more

Methods of underpinning, Procedure and Applications in Foundation Strengthening

Image
Underpinning is a method for repair and strengthening of building foundations. Underpinning methods, procedures and their applications in strengthening of different types of foundations is discussed in this article. There are situations where a failure in foundation or footing happens unexpectedly after the completion of whole structure (both sub and superstructure). Under such emergency situation, a remedial method has to be suggested to regain the structural stability. The  method of underpinning  help to strengthen the foundation of an existing building or any other infrastructure. These involve installation of permanent or temporary support to an already held foundation so that additional depth and bearing capacity is achieved. Selection of Underpinning Methods Underpinning methods are selected based on age of structure and types of works involved. Structure categories based on its age: Ancient Structures :Age greater than 150 years Recent Structures : Age between 5
Read more

Methods for Calculating Cost of Engineering Consultant Services

Image
here are several methods by which calculation of engineering consultant services cost can be carried out in construction. It is possible to employ various charging approach at different phase of the consultant services. The application of each method or combination of methods is dependent on nature, scope and complexity of the required engineering services. In this article, these charging consulting services are discussed. Following are the topics discussed for calculating cost of engineering services or consulting services in construction: What are the factors that affect the engineering service cost? Methods for charging engineering services What are the Factors that affect the Engineering Service Cost in Construction? There are various factors that control the cost of engineering services required for a specific project. These factors are outlined below: The conditions at project site. Degree of danger that may be encountered and exposure possibility. System of pr
Read more