QA inspection
Quality assurance inspection, inspection and test record
A recorded check of completed or in-progress work against the specification, drawings and standards, with pass or fail on each item, measurements, photographs and a signature.
A QA inspection is the trade contractor's evidence that the work was right before it was covered up, handed over or paid for. The checklist is specific to the trade and the stage: for steelwork, bolt grades and torque, alignment and plumb, weld visual, paint thickness; for brickwork, gauge, plumb, cavity cleanliness, DPC and tray positions; for a roof, laps, fixings, upstands, outlets. Each item has an acceptance criterion drawn from a standard (BS EN 1090, BS 8000, NHBC Standards, the manufacturer's instructions) or from the specification, and the inspection records pass or fail, a measurement where one matters, and a photograph where it failed or where it will be hidden.
The inspection is signed by the person who did it, and where the contract requires, witnessed by the client's representative. Failed items raise an NCR. The completed records form part of the handover documentation and, more usefully, the file the QS opens when a defect is alleged two years later. A checklist with guidance on what good looks like, and with the common defects listed, turns the sheet into training for the person filling it in.
Where it comes from
- ISO 9001:2015 clauses 8.5 and 8.6: control of production and release of products and services.
- The relevant British Standards and codes of practice per trade (for example BS EN 1090-2 for steel, BS 8000 series for workmanship on building sites, BS 5534 for slating and tiling), and the NHBC Standards for housing.
- The contract specification and drawings, which take precedence over general standards.
Questions people ask
Who carries out a QA inspection?
The trade contractor's supervisor or quality person, for their own work, and the main contractor's engineer or QA manager as a check. The client's clerk of works or inspector may witness. Self-inspection is normal; the record and the photographs are what make it credible.
How many items should a checklist have?
Enough to cover what the specification and standards actually require for that stage, and no more. Ten to twenty per stage is typical. Delete what does not apply to the job; add what the specification calls for.
QA inspection, handled on a phone
SiteLynx puts the RAMS, permits, inspections, audits, plant checks and records behind every term in this glossary on the crew's phones, signed on site, with a PDF at the end. 14 days free, no card.
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