GUIDELINES FOR CONCRETE INSPECTION

Reported By ACI Committee 311

I.1 - PHILOSOPHY

Individuals and organizations involved with inspection must recognize that

the needs and requirements will vary and must be tailored to each
individual project. The actual level of inspection to be used will depend on
the type of complexity of the project, special features involved, specific
legal requirements, and the purpose of inspection program. Any of these
may make necessary the addition of more detailed inspection
requirements, or may warrant lessening the requirement shown.

I.2 - GENERAL

Inspection is not an end itself. It is simply a subsystem of the quality

assurance system and of a contractor or producers quality control system
.In addition, inspection may be part of the activities of a governmental
regulating body charged with enforcing legal codes and other regulations.
Inspection and testing by themselves do not add quality to the product or
process being inspected. Inspection and testing only confirm whether the
product or process meets the criteria established .The information derived
from the inspection and testing process, however, when properly evaluated
and with conclusions and decisions implemented, will result in
improvement of the quality of the product or process. It also must be
recognized that quality is achieved only by implementation of an adequate
quality assurance program from planning through design and construction
to acceptance by the owner. Quality during the construction phase is
achieved almost entirely by the contractor or producer's quality control
program. This quality control program involves everyone from
management to field supervisors to the workmen themselves. Quality
control must have the strong active support of top management, and the
active concern and participation of everyone involved in the construction
process. Again, inspection and testing are only a part, although a very
important part, of both quality assurance and quality control program.

1.3 - DEFINITIONS

1.3.1 - Quality Assurance (QA) - All those planned and systematic actions
necessary to insure that the final product will perform its intended
function. QA is a management tool.
1.3.2 - QUALITY CONTBOL (QC) - Those actions related to the physical
characteristics of the materials, processes, and services, which provide a
means to measure and control the characteristics to predetermined
quantitative criteria. QC is a production tool.

1.3.3 – OWNER - The individual or organization having financial and

legal responsibility for construction of a project as well as bearing the
ultimate responsibility for the public health, welfare, and safety related to
the project. For many purposes in this report, the term "owner" includes
those organizations or individuals acting as agents for the owner.

1.3.4 - ENGINEER - The architectural or engineering origination with

responsibility to the owner to perform the structural design, produce
design drawings, define construction requirements, and prepares
specification to the project.

1.3.5 - CONTRACTOR - The organization with responsibility to construct

a project according to the project plans, specifications, and drawings.

1.3.6 - CONSTRUCTION MANAGER- The construction management

organization that becomes a member of the team of OWNER-
ENGINEER-CONSTRUCTION manager, in a project delivery system that
varies from the traditional design-bidbuild system .The manager's role is to
coordinate and communicate the entire project process to minimize project
completion time and cost.

1.3.7 - INSPECTION ORGANIZATION - Responsible for providing

acceptance inspection and testing for the owner, or providing quality
control inspection and testing for the contractor or producer.

1.3.8 - INSPECT ION - The term "inspection" as used herein includes not
only visual observations and field measurements, but also laboratory
testing and the assembly and evaluation o1 test data.

1.3.9 - TESTING LABORATORY - An independent commercial

organization that provides testing services to owners, governmental
agencies, engineers, contractors and material or product producers.

1.3.10 - MATERIAL MANUFACTURER OR SUPPLIER - The

organization responsible for producing or manufacturing a product or
material used in the process of construction or for supplying products or
-
materials to a project, with or without performing additional operations on
the product or materials.

"Reported by ACI COMMITTEE 311"

Copyright 1988, AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE
JNJPECTION ACrIVITIES
HECOMMElNDJ!:D (IN/:leU:Cl'ION AND TEST LEVEL A)
NG
FUl'l CXJMPLEX PROJECTS

A . PROJECT EXAMPLES

1.High Rise Construction . 2.Parking Garage Construction 3.Dam Construction

Major Bridges Construction
Power Plant Construction
Interstate or Primary Highway Construction 7.Docks and Harbor Construction

OJPE OF ACTIVITIES RE<DMMENDED FOR ACCEPI'ANCE INSPECTION

PROGRAMS

Sampling and testing of concrete materials for complete pre-qualification of materials

to required properties.
Samplimg and testing of concrete materials at estalised inte vals during
construction with close monitoring of some properties on a daily, weekly, or monthly
basis.Some qualification tests will not be repeated during the construction phase or
may be replaced by acceptance of material test reports submitted by the manufacturer.
Approval of concrete mises of all class of concrete needed for the project
based on Technical Specification of the project.
Inspection and certification of batch plant to concern engineers requirements
prior to construction.
ualification program for concrete mixer trucks with regular program of inspection
during construction including test for mixer uniformity, calibration of water tank
meters, and inspection of blade wear.
Inspection as needed of batching operation during construction with checks
for yield.
7.Full-time inspec tion of preplacement, placement, and post-placement
activities(including curing),Special attention to mass concrete, hot-weather concret,ng,
and cold-weather concreting.Also verification of tolerances on placement of
reinforcement arid dimensions of completed structures.
8.Sampling and testing of concrete in the field at established intervals by
independent testing laboratory or other qualified personnel acting as agents for the
owner.
9.Monitoring maturity of concrete prior to form removal or monitoring of other
activities such as post-tensioning, by means of a field-cured cylinder test program, or a
non-destructive testing program.
10.Laboratory test of conctete cylinders for acceptance of concrete strength.

BEOJMMENDED INSPECTION ACTIVITI:ES

FOB M)DEBATE PROJECTS (INSPECTION AND TESTING LEVEL B)

POOJECT EXAMPLES

Industrial and Commercial Building Construction

Low-rise Construction
Small Bridges Construction
Arterial Stress or Feeder Route construction
SOOPE OF ACTIVITIES REOOMMENDED FOB ACCEPI'ANCE INSPECTION
PROGRAM
Sampling and testing of concrete materials prior to construction and at established
intervals during construction.
Use of proven materials and materials test reports accepted for some required test.
3.Approval of concrete mixes of all class of concrete needed for the proect based on
Technical Specification of the project.
4.Inspection of batch plant storage, production facilities, and delivery trucks
prior to construction
Random inspection pf batching operation during construction with checks for yield
Prelacement, .placement and post-placement of concreting activities(including
curing).Special attention to mass concrete, hot weather concreting,
and cold weather concreting.
. t established intervals by
. the field a 1 acting as agents
7 sampling and testing of concrete in qualified persoIUle
iJj.dependent testing laboratory or other
for the owner. al or monitoring of other
Monitoring maturi. ty of concrete pri.or t0 d 1·nder
formfraemof test
vield cur
e cy i
activities such as post-tensioning by meas 0 th
program, or a non-destructive testing program. t nee of concrete streng •
Laboratory test of concrete cylinders for accep a

RECOMMENDED INSPECTION AOI'IVITIES

FOR MINOR POOJECTS (INSPECTION AND TESTING LEVEL C)
PROJECT EXIMPLES

Residential Construction
2 Single-Family homes Construction . 3.Catch Ba.sins and Small Drainage Structures Construction
4.Residential Streets, Curbs, and Gutters Construction
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES RECOMMENDED
FDR ACCEPTANCE INFECTION PROGRAM
Use of proven material and concrete mix design recommended
Random testing of concrete and materials during construction
3.Random inspection of concreting activities
Submittal of test samples by the contractor in some instance.
Laboratory test of concrete cylinders for acceptance of concrete strength.

NOTE/REMINmiS :

ACI COMMITTEE BEFOBTS, GUIDES, STANDARD PRACTICES, and Commentaries are intended for
guidance in designing, planning, executing, or inspecting, construction and
in preparing speci fications.eference to these documents shall not be ma.de in the Proect Documents.If
items fpund in these documents are desired to be part of the
ProJect .Documents they should be phrased in mandatory language and incorporated into the ProJect
Documents.