Karadeniz Technical University

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

Course: INS7520 Quality Control in Highway Constructions

Lecturer: Prof.Dr. Muhammet Vefa Akpınar

Student: Yeternur Asena Aktürk/407908

Homework III
 Quality Control in Construction

Poor or lack of quality procedures

Any construction work should have a procedure of auditing, procurement, material
approval, reporting and document control, etc.
Having quality procedures creates better quality management systems that prevent
construction defects.
Low-quality materials
Too much water or sand in a concrete mix, lumber cut
from undersized trees, and improperly graded steel
can all result in widespread construction quality
issues.
Ordering only from trusted suppliers and assigning a
quality control officer to check every shipment of
materials is the only way to verify a project is
properly supplied.
Inferior building materials cause problems such as
leakages, concrete cracks, sudden dropping of
ceilings, and inadequately functioning structures.
Leaking drainage pipes result in toxic molds on the
buildings.
Ignored Audits and Testing
Some construction companies stick strictly to their third-party testing and auditing plans,
yet ignore the results of the tests and continue on with flawed designs or existing quality
issues.
There should be a system to countercheck
deliveries of concrete to the site and
the same with the other construction
materials.
Lack of Project Management System
A project management system determines the ideal intervals for testing the work completed so
far for errors and omissions.
Through constant supervision, the contractor secures the project’s quality as well as the safety
against any construction defect.

Miscommunication Between Teams

Miscommunication leads to misapplication of new techniques, mismatched materials, and a lack
of secondary and tertiary testing to discover existing problems.

Complexity of Designs
Unnecessary complexity is the enemy of high-quality work. Simplified designs are also more
affordable, offering the construction firm a better profit margin even while they’re producing
the highest quality work.
Scope Creep
Construction projects often start out much simpler and smaller than the finished project.
While it’s natural for all projects to change with time as new facts are discovered about costs,
time constraints, and site limitations, the problem comes when the expansion in scope leads to
cutting corners to stretch a limited budget and time frame.
Managing the scope of a construction project ensures the contractors can maintain the same
level of quality over the entirety of the work.

Last-Minute Changes
When essential features are still being engineered or discussed at late stages in the
construction process, these last-minute changes often lead to serious quality issues.
Set deadlines by which designs can’t be altered anymore or make arrangements to extend the
deadlines and set aside plenty of time for verifying and testing any changes to the existing
designs.
Supplier and Vendor Failures

Even when the materials themselves aren’t to blame for a quality issue, problems with
suppliers and vendors can raise costs and lower quality levels.

Set clear expectations with all suppliers and

perform random checks to verify
they’re still adhering to the contract.
Subcontractor Mishandling
If a subcontractor hires employees without the right skills and fails to train them, workmanship
errors occur that can go unnoticed for years.
Screening subcontractors and other labor providers are essential to verify they’re supplying
skilled laborers that can catch their own mistakes.
Failure to Document Changes and Practices
Some quality issues aren’t directly related to a mistake or design change, but rather to the
lack of documentation of the change.
If material is substituted for another with a completely different maintenance and
replacement cycle, failure to update the final documents can result in improper handling
from the maintenance team.
REFERENCES

https://blog.plangrid.com/2019/04/construction-quality-management/
https://www.qualityengineersguide.com/the-14-possible-sources-of-quality-issues-and-
defects-in-construction-part-1
https://www.cmu.edu/cee/projects/PMbook/13_Quality_Control_and_Safety_During_Constr
uction.html#13.1%20Quality%20and%20Safety%20Concerns%20in%20Construction
https://constructionreviewonline.com/concrete/8-common-types-of-cracks-in-concrete/
https://civilcrews.com/testing-of-hardened-concrete/