Concrete Construction Inspection: Duties, Documentation, and Field Judgment
The inspector's role
Construction inspection is a verification and documentation function, not a design or acceptance-authority function. The inspector confirms that materials, proportions, handling, placement, consolidation, finishing, curing, and protection match the approved plans and specifications, and records what was observed in a contemporaneous, factual daily report. Know the difference between inspection (observe and record), testing (sample and measure), and acceptance (a decision reserved for the engineer or architect of record). Questions often hinge on who decides.
Pre-placement checks
Before any concrete is placed, the inspector verifies formwork alignment, cleanliness, release agent, and stability; reinforcement size, number, spacing, cover, and support; embedded items and blockouts; and that required pre-placement inspections and approvals are complete. Traps include assuming the inspector may approve substitutions or field-fit changes to reinforcement - those require the designer. Another common trap: formwork is "close enough" - tolerances are defined, not subjective.
During and after placement
Monitor delivery tickets (mix ID, time, quantity, added water), discharge time and temperature limits, placement method, lift heights, vibration technique (no dragging vibrators, no over-vibration causing segregation), and cold-joint avoidance. Afterward, verify finishing, curing method and duration, protection from traffic and weather, and that test cylinders were made, cured, and handled per the governing standard.
Documentation discipline
Record times, locations, quantities, weather, personnel, nonconformances, and corrective actions. Write observations, not opinions.
Rule of thumb
If it is not written in the daily report with a time and location, treat it as not having happened. Document the deviation and the notification - never "fix it quietly."