WHAT IS AN INSPECTION TEST PLAN
Inspection and Test Plan and checklists are an integral part of quality management system not only in construction but in almost every industry where Quality Management System are in place. It is considered to be master documents through which different parameters and actions of a process or an activity would be monitored and recorded which plays a vital part during the verification later or in simple terms during auditing.
- It is a comprehensive document that identifies the quality targets (through Inspection of activities) to be achieved with respect to specifications, standards-based on the contract for the projects.
- It provides details of specific personnel assigned for the inspections.
- It also explains the acceptance criteria for each specific testing/inspection requirement correlating with specification/contractual requirements.
- The frequency of tests and, the type of records for verification to ensure that the inspection and/or testing has been carried out are also part of the ITPs common structure.
- Reference to the type of inspections (To Hold or Review or Surveillance etc) to be carried out by different parties involved with activities also part of ITP’s structure.
In construction industry, where there are a lot of activities, for a variety of trades such as structural., Finishes, Façade, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing etc. are to be completed spanning across excavation for foundation to handing over stage, thereby Preparation and implementation of different inspection test plans forms the most crucial part of project management system
Contents of an Inspection and Test Plan
All Inspection and Test Plans are structured as per the following process:
- Documentation review
- Material sample submittal
- Inspection of incoming material(s)
- Pre works inspection(s)
- Works in progress inspection(s)
- Post works inspection(s)
ITP explains what to do with each stage of this process, as follows.
Activity; Details about the control activity to be carried out e.g. documentation review (Eg: Whether drawings are approved), checking of materials (Eg: Checking of materials delivered is approved one or not), pre-work inspection (Eg: Inspection of preparation of plastering), etc
Inspection: Defines the mode of inspection for each inspecting party involved (Contractor, Owner, Consultant, Third Party): It constitutes the following points as applicable depends on the nature of activity to be inspected
Review (‘R”):
Review of documents and formal approval of document is without which work cannot proceed (inspection reports, test certificates, drawings, etc.
Hold (‘H’):
A ‘Hold’ point defines a point beyond which work may not proceed without approval from the inspecting party(ies).
Witness (‘W’):
A ‘Witness’ point provides the inspecting party(ies) with the opportunity to witness the inspection or test or aspect of the work, at their discretion. Information to be passed to them but not necessary to wait for inspection beyond the assigned time for the same.
Surveillance (‘S”):
Intermittent monitoring of any stage of the work in progress as the work progress. Observations are to be rectified once noticed during surveillance.
Frequency: Frequency of inspection activity e.g. each joint, 10%, first time, daily, random etc.
Approving Authority: Details about the party(ies) who has been authorized to conduct the respective inspection
Acceptance Criteria: Criteria with which the documents, the tests, or the works must comply with to be accepted (with reference to design, specification, codes, contracts, or workmanship standards), If not mentioned in the contract (e.g. workmanship), these criteria must be discussed and agreed upon with the contractor before the start of the works.
Verification Record: Documents recording the quality check and acceptance for each document review or inspection. The records may be of different types: approved document, checklist, test certificate, material approval, survey data, etc.
GENERAL NOTES – Preparation Of Inspection and Test Plans
Generally, it is the responsibility of the QA/QC department to prepare the required Inspection and Test Plans for all the activities related to project parameters. The following approach can be used as a guideline for the preparation
REVIEW OF CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
The person in charge of preparation reviews the contract documents, including technical specifications, and prepares a list of any discrepancies, ambiguities, missing information, and standards of materials and/or workmanship that are deemed inappropriate. Issues shall be clarified and resolved with the Consultant, Client, or Designers.
INSPECTION AND TEST – LIST AND SCOPE
The person in charge examines the scope of work and divides it into separate trades requiring each a different ITP. The list of ITPs shall be maintained as a Master list.
PREPARATION OF INSPECTION AND TEST PLAN (ITP)s
The Person – in – charge reviews the contract documents and technical specifications again and notes the clauses that impact considerably on the quality of the finished work. He shall discuss the registers/documents, inspection, and test checklists with those directly involved with the work and obtain their input. This input should particularly be directed at identifying those issues that have caused problems (and involved extra costs) in the past, and therefore warrant checking at the earliest opportunity to avoid unnecessary and costly rectification. The details shall be write down in the standard ITP format as shown here.
ITPs are numbered as follows: XXX-YYY-ITP-ZZZ (Sample reference only, shall be follow requirement of each project)
Where: XXX is the Company short code, YYY is project identification and ZZZ is the ITP code, (e.g. RCC for reinforced cement concrete works)
Note that for specialized works, with proprietary process (e.g. waterproofing, elevators, etc.), the ITP shall be discussed with the contractor and/or supplier based on the proposed works method statement
SUBDIVISION OF THE WORKS
The Person-in-Charge decides how best to divide the works into areas for inspection purposes and indicate these locations either on a schedule (with reference to grids and levels) or by marking up drawings.
A typical division of the civil works, for example, would be by floor and would include slab, columns, walls, and staircases
PREPARATION OF REGISTERS, INSPECTIONS, AND TESTS RECORD
As part of each ITP, the Person-in-Charge prepares:
- the registers to record the material submittals for approval and inspection of material delivered at site
- the inspection check lists to record the visual inspection for each stage of the works
- the test check lists to record specific tests on materials, works, and installations
Registers for incoming materials are usually common to all sections of works (e.g. steel for RCC works). However, a separate inspection checklist will be used for each of the work areas identified in d) and will be numbered accordingly.
Register Number: XX-YYY-REG-ZZZ
Inspection Number: XXX-YYY-ISP-LL LL LLL-NNN
Test Number: XXX-YYY-TST-ZZZ-NNN
Where: XXX is Company Short Code, YYY is the project identifier and ZZZ is the type of register, inspection, or test (e.g. PRC for Pour Card), LL LL LLL identifies the location of the section inspected, such as: Building No – Floor Level – Grid Section and WWW is a serial number (if required)
REVIEW
The prepared ITPs shall be submitted for review to consultant/Owner as the case may be well in advance prior to the date of actual work starts in the project.
Would you like to visit the page for Inspection and Test Plan – If so CLICK HERE
Leave a Reply