What is a Quality Audit?

Contractors today commit substantial resources, both people and financial, to manage the quality of the HMA product being produced. And rightfully so. The long term durability and performance of Hot Mix Asphalt is directly related to the quality of the materials and processes used to manufacture the product.

As more responsibility is being placed on contractor QC Departments, it is critical that all QC personnel understand and appreciate the significant responsibility they have to help the company achieve economic success in the HMA industry.

Training of QC personnel is critical to ensure complete understanding not only of “how” to perform testing but also "why" things are done in a specific way. This element includes issues such as theory of volumetric properties, importance of specific gravity and fundamentals of variability in the construction process.

Equally important is the need to have regularly scheduled independent quality audits. Audits are built around the contractor’s Quality Management Plan. Fundamentally, the objective is to ensure that the QC Department is following the elements of the Quality Management Plan. The focus is to "coach" QC personnel to ensure proper performance.

The Quality Audit generally involves review of QC project testing documentation and record keeping as well as monitoring of test procedures. The audit complements but does not replace the AMRL accreditation or sample proficiency program participation.

A Quality Audit is an excellent opportunity for the QC Department to demonstrate its contribution to the company and to identify areas where improvement would be beneficial. In addition, the Quality Audit can be of great benefit to the contractor in the case of dispute resolutions.

Dale Decker can provide independent Quality Audits for your company.

Dale s. decker, llc.