Clerk of the Works Massachusetts: Organizing for Quality and Safety

 It is feasible to use a range of different organizations to oversee construction-related quality and safety. A typical concept is for an organization to have a group in charge of quality control and another group whose primary responsibility is safety. In big organizations, the quality control and safety departments may designate a Clerk of the works to take on these responsibilities on particular projects. These and other duties may be taken on by the project manager or an assistant for smaller projects. In both scenarios, the project manager in overall command of the project is concerned with ensuring safe and high-quality construction in addition to personnel, money, schedule, and other management challenges.

In a project, inspectors and quality assurance staff will participate as representatives of various organizations. The owner, the engineer/architect, and the numerous construction companies are just a few of the stakeholders directly involved in the project that could each have their own quality and safety inspectors. These inspectors could be independent contractors from specialized quality control companies. In addition to on-site inspections, samples of products are frequently checked for conformity by specialized laboratories. Also engaged will be inspectors to ensure adherence to legal regulations. Typical examples are the Clerk of the Works Boston for environmental agencies, occupational health and safety organizations, and the construction department of municipal governments.

In cooperation with recognized state inspection organizations, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) often examines workplaces. A citation must be issued by OSHA inspectors for every standard violation they find, according to the law. Safety standards recommend a range of mechanical precautions and processes; for instance, more than 140 rules address the safety of ladders. OSHA inspectors have the authority to halt project work in cases of severe standard non-compliance. OSHA inspectors only visit a tiny percentage of construction sites, and most incidents at these sites are not due to non-compliance with the law. As a result, managers on the job are generally in charge of safety rather than government inspectors.

Inspectors are needed since so many people are engaged in the building process, but it must be emphasized more that inspectors are simply a formal check on quality control. All project team members should have quality control as their top priority. The duty of preserving and enhancing quality control should fall on managers. It is important to encourage and reward employee involvement in quality control, including the sharing of fresh concepts. The ability of quality improvement to spur increased productivity is the most significant. Good quality control may pay for itself by recommending new work techniques, preventing rework, and identifying and resolving long-term issues. Clerk of the Works Massachusetts should encourage effective quality control and look for contractors that uphold such standards.

Quality control concerns come up in almost every functional area of construction activity, in addition to the numerous organizational entities engaged in it. For instance, maintaining high performance requires ensuring accurate and helpful information. Other quality control facets include procurement, field inspection, testing, document control (including changes made during the construction process), and final facility inspection.