Spurred by recent high-profile structural failures in the UK, professional body the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is launching a two-day course on managing quality in construction, to be held in November in London.
It follows months of work by a CIOB Commission of Past Presidents into what practical steps can be taken to improve build quality.
"Poor quality is costing the industry annually more than the combined profits of companies in the industry," said Adrian Montague, head of the CIOB Academy, which is delivering the course.
"We want to see a ‘get it right first time’ approach embedded in the industry, which should prevent these unnecessary costs and improve customer retention."
Montague based his claim on recent research suggesting better quality management could save the industry up to £12bn a year.
He said the course would address how to set and meet quality objectives, with a view to relevant processes and legislation.
The CIOB’s quality commission was launched last year amid a spate of failures, including the Grenfell Tower fire, the discovery of defects in more than 80 Scottish schools, and public outcry over defects in new homes built by Bovis.
The commission’s chairman, CIOB Past President Paul Nash, said: "We urgently needed to understand what was preventing or promoting the delivery of quality at all stages of the construction process so that we could act to bring about the change that was so obviously needed.
"Our research highlighted that there was a need to raise standards across the industry. But more than this we needed to change the culture of our industry; we needed people to take pride in the buildings and infrastructure that they were creating."
Scheduled for 14-15 November, the course will cover widely-used quality management systems for a project-based industry.
- Details are here.
Image: Workmen carry out repairs at Edinburgh’s Oxgangs Primary School in April 2016. The collapse of its external wall prompted the discovery of defects in more than 80 new schools in Scotland (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
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There is no project type that is immune to defect if major quality management and control mechanisms of three phase of controls [Preparatory Phase Meeting / Initial Phase Meeting / Follow-up Phase] are not put in place.
Construction contractors who only perform inspections required by the Owner or what the building code requires will likely build projects but not with Insured’s QA/QC program to reduce effective cost on profits.
Definitely, Insured’s QA/QC program should minimize rework. This is where FEWER MISTAKES MEANS LESS REWORK and reducing Costs and enhancing Quality. The early detection of defects, in a construction project, is important for the successful execution of a project. However, the early detection and prevention of defects is a significant challenge in construction profits maximization and construction schedule of values.
The indisputable fact is that avoiding errors in workmanship on site costs. There has to be a system of inspections and checks in order to avoid continuing with defective works which may become apparent during construction or much later during the latent defects period. Either the client or contractor have to pay and many do not seem to realise the value in quality control.
How many checks are made on BMW’s and Mercs. before they roll off the production line?
Until it is an established fact that getting it right first time on site saves both the client and contractor money there will be a reluctance to buy into quality control inspections.
There is no project type that is immune to defect if major quality management and control mechanisms of three phase of controls [Preparatory Phase Meeting / Initial Phase Meeting / Follow-up Phase] are not put in place. Construction contractors who only perform inspections required by the Owner or what the building code requires will likely build projects but not with Insured’s QA/QC program to reduce effective cost on profits. Definitely, Insured’s QA/QC program should minimize rework. This is where FEWER MISTAKES MEANS LESS REWORK and reducing Costs and enhancing Quality. The early detection of defects, in a construction project, is important for the successful execution of a project. However, the early detection and prevention of defects is a significant challenge in construction profits maximization and construction schedule of values.