Several organizations have noted a deterioration in the quality of new housing in recent years. This applies equally to buildings in the Île-de-France region (Institut des Hautes Études pour l'Action dans le Logement) and houses. The Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes (DGCCRF) reports that 58% of construction companies do not comply with standards. Yet the quality of a building is essential to the safety and comfort of its residents. To avoid wasting time on your project, find out how to optimize quality control on your building site.
Construction quality control is part and parcel of site control. It is carried out under the responsibility of the project owner or the quality control manager (also called QC Manager).
Various inspections are organized in the form of scheduled or unscheduled visits. The project owner can appoint a technical inspector to carry out contractual contractual checks. This assessment is mandatory to certify the safety and compliance of the project with current standards, as well as the specifications.
Each control focuses on a specific specialty or site resource such as concrete, earthworks, roads or building foundations. Several parties involved in the project have the right to request this procedure, including construction companies or the owner (source). Technical documents (memos, minutes, purchase orders, etc.), as well as architectural plansmust be made available to the inspector. The project owner will accompany the inspector for half a day, facilitating access to the inspected premises.
This inspection is essential to detect any possible construction defects that may render the building unfit for use, or in a state of peril. The insurance company AiA, in collaboration with the building owners' association and the Institute for Building Research, published a survey in 2018. The three most recurrent defects are :
However, the more time passes, the more these defects slip under the expert's radar. In the absence of proof of intentional fraud on the part of the contractor, the limitation period is 10 years. After that, the occupants are responsible for the cost of repairs.
At the end of the visit, the inspector draws up the quality control plan. This document contains a number of mandatory items of information:
The quality control of your building is maintained throughout your project. The aim is to reduce the risk of errors that can cost you time and money. Of all the solutions available to improve processes, we'd like to highlight three in particular.
Checklists (or quality control checklists) are a type of checklists dedicated to the inspection of all building elements. These must meet standards that guarantee the safety and quality of life of future residents. More than just checklists, you can add additional information on the item description to facilitate the inspector's work. Be sure to make these lists accessible to all those involved in the project, to improve the quality of the worksite (source).
These lists are available via web or mobile applications, in the form of project management software. Our Techtime software lets you create a personalized cheklist for each activity you plan. Items are ticked off one by one as you check them off.
Unlike checklists, which validate the quality control of building components, the inspection plan defines the inspection process. It answers the main question: who should inspect what, and when ? Thanks to communication and communication and collaborationyou can ensure effective follow-up of your inspection plans. Everyone involved knows exactly what their responsibilities in the project are, and how they are to be met.
If the inspectors note any deficiencies in your building, collect essential documents (photos, notes) to inform those involved in the project. You can resolve these construction defects as quickly as possible by adopting one of the ISO 9001 (International Organization for Standardization) methods. These management methods focus on the continuous improvement of on-site processes:
As with BIMthe site monitoring application centralizes data in the form of photos or notes. Thanks to their accessibility and real-time updating, those involved in the project can more easily correct any defects identified by the inspection.
By grouping data into dashboardsthe client or construction company is able to make better decisions. They have access to the history of controls carried out for the quality assurance plan, thanks to the integration ofintegration of site plans. Certain corrective actions can be annotated on the DOE Chantier (Dossier des ouvrages exécutés) to certify building quality (source).
On a vast project such as the T2B section of the Grand Paris Expressthe quality control monitoring application brings considerable considerable time savings. Those involved in the project fill in their inspection reports in less than 5 minutes.
To optimize quality control on your site, you need to digitize all your data on a single dashboard. With the Techtimeapplication, you can save time and money without compromising the reliability of your construction.
