Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

Finally we get the go ahead to pour Zone 5 Upper Basement slab. The contractor found that his pumping strategy didn’t work on arrival of the mobile pump so changed the plan. It then involved a mobile pump and about 35m of hose. This wouldn’t have been such an issue if they had started from the back and worked forward but due to the restricted angle to pump could boom it meant that we had to start at the front and work backwards before coming back again. In all, it was a very awkward pour. From the pumping location I noticed that there was likely to be area that would be left for several hours before the pour line met it once again. After the issues of the last slab I was involved with I did not want this to happen, so called the JHG supervisor to remind the subcontractor of this issue. It eventually took the movement of a kibble from the other end of the site and a commandeering of the crane to get some concrete down and keep the edge alive.  As the pour was ending the supervisor called forward to the batching plant with his excess to the ordered quantity, to ensure that the pour did not go short, expecting the final programmed truck to arrive. It didn’t, the concrete batching plant had decided to retain the last 5m3 of the mix to send at the same time as the excess. Why?! If somebody has ordered concrete, why wouldn’t you send it! This resulted in a further hour delay in pouring. The whole pour took about 7 hours, and the concreters were still there at 2000 finishing the surface.

The surface was not good. It appears the concreters got bored about 2000 and went home. This initiated the next phase of my week – Getting involved with quality control. When a task is not performed correctly a Non-Conformance Report is raised detailing the issue to the contractor and asking for their rectification methodology. Unfortunately Crown (Concreters) have been at the end of my wrath this week. A poorly finished slab and then I found some reinforcement sticking through the surface of a poured slab. Actually the client found it and asked if I had, I went down for a quick look so that I wasn’t lying when I emailed a reply that I had. This formed the second NCR for Crown. Subcontractors don’t want to pay to remediate their own poor work, they would much rather we sent them a site instruction so they can be paid to do it. The backlash to my NCR’s was interesting, I was surprised that “The dog ate it” didn’t feature in the reply. I stuck to my guns and quoted contractual points that they are responsible for the finish no matter what and that if there are issues with the reinforcement they have a duty to raise it during construction. As yet I have had no comeback to my last.

We finally poured concrete using the Boom Mast on Friday. The pipeline that was serviced by a semi-permanent pump in the slip-lane was finally plumbed in and was tested on the columns in SB Zone 2 in order to set the conditions for pouring of the ground floor slab with is a milestone for May (not likely). Things actually went quite smoothly for a change, apart from one column requiring formwork remediation and mixes changing from 65MPa to 40MPa and back again – not ideal but necessary.

The final parting shot of the week was from the concrete boom mast, that decided to shed its top ladder (approx. 200kg) when it was being put away. The ladder fell approximately 20m onto a thankfully empty deck (at 1700 on a Friday site was effectively a ghost town anyway). Cue ComCare on site once again Monday morning – they may as well get an office here! The investigation is ongoing.

This weekend was spent dashing like warriors around a 5km muddy obstacle course. The RE contingent (Steve and I) was strong, and we both managed to rope our wives and a couple of lads and lasses from work in too. I was so enthused that when I returned home I signed up for a 20km version in October – apparently this one is a bit tougher. I think I may miss the green a little!