Concreting must be duly and professionally inspected to avoid all problems associated with concrete and achieve greater strength and durability of the structure. It is good to have a checklist readily available where record of the concreting and the quality control measures taken on the site are noted.

Wrong concrete pouring can be very costly as concrete is difficult to install and remove. More so, lack of adequate preparation prior to pouring puts workers at great risk.

Concreting can be inspected in three stages:

• Pre-pouring
• During pouring
• Post-pouring

Benefits of Using Concrete Pouring Checklist

Concrete pouring checklist helps the contractor and the construction engineer to maintain the records of checks in order to produce it in case discrepancies arise.

It is a proof of the concrete work carried out on site.

It is used to measure the volume of concrete used and ensure that everything is in order before, during and after pouring.

How to Prepare for Concrete Pouring

Adhering to the following steps will be very helpful.

Organize a pre-pouring meeting

Conduct a meeting probably a week prior to the pouring where you will discuss the required equipment, labour needs, iron rod pulling and mix design and other matters relating to contracts. In order to have a robust discussion, ensure you have the project manager and foreman present at the meeting. Enough attention should be paid to details.

Inspect formwork and false work

Inspect formwork and false work for the following:

• If Lin and levels are set out at the right location;
• If slab penetration, service pipes and built-in items are installed at the correct location as per the current set of drawing;
• If the joint details and water bars are installed as per specifications;
• If cover to reinforcement is checked before formwork;
• If the proper form release agent as defined in the specifications and approved submittals are already on site and available in the right quality to cover the forms for the area of slab being placed;
• If the temporary work designs are approved and signed off;
• If formwork has been installed to the drawings to ensure that the slab and vertical elements will be properly finished;
• If there are other slab penetrations that need to be verified by other trades;
• If the product is a wall or column and has the correct value of form with the appropriate finish being used;
• If the area is free of dust and debris; and
• If the area is safe for pouring.

Inspect reinforcement and installations

Check for the following:

• If building and formation level has been checked before installation;
• If cover to concrete, spacers, and chairs are as per specifications and drawings;
• If all reinforcing installed are clean and free of debris;
• If dimensions of prefabricated cases, location are checked before installing;
• If iron rods are in their respective positions according to the layout and are snap tied;
• If all the shear links have been installed;
• If the iron rod sixe, spacing and lap lengths are fixed as per drawings; and
• If fixer foreman is available on the location at the time of inspection.

Concrete Pre-pouring Checklist

Below is the standard checklist for concrete before pouring.

S/No	CHECKLIST	REQUIREMENT
1	Centre line	As per drawing
2	Formwork & Staging	As per drawing & in exact plum
3	Construction joint location	As per drawing
4	Steel reinforcement diameter / spacing & coating	As per drawing
5	Cover to the reinforcement and overlap	As per drawing
6	Shuttering	Aligned as per drawing and in plumb
7	RLs and reference levels	As per drawing
8	Embedment part check, i.e. insert plates, nipple, etc.n	As per drawing
9	Placement of water stoppers, if any
10	Location of construction joint
11	Water tightness of shuttering, if required	No water seepage allowed
12	Quality of water	Potable and clean
13	Measuring jar for water pouring	As per water content requirement
14	Quality of materials	As per specification

Concrete Pouring Checklist

Below is the standard checklist for concrete during pouring.

S/No	CHECKLIST	REQUIREMENT
1	Water cement ratio	As per specification
2	Surface preparation by mortar bedding	Fresh mortar
3	Slump testing	As per requirement
4	Adequacy of vibration	40mm and 60mm needle required
5	Segregation of aggregates	Not allowed
6	Removal of temporary spacers and ties	To be removed
7	Check for shuttering prop displacement / settlement	Not Allowed
8	Number of cubes taken for testing with identification No.: ________ Id: __________	3 No’s for RCC > 6m33 No’s for every 5m3
9	Continuity of operations	No break in between concreting