Improving maintenance and reducing building defects through ISO 9000

While ISO 9000 is undeniably the most prolific of all formal quality assurance (QA) standards, the experiences that the construction industry has had with it are at best mixed. Past research done to investigate its impact, in terms of benefits and costs, suggest that most construction firms have yet to achieve optimal results from its implementation and use. One possible explanation lies in the generic nature of the standards itself. This study investigates the impact of ISO 9000 on building defects. By focusing onto this very fundamental aspect of construction quality, it shows how ISO 9000 certification for contractors can affect the amount of defects occurring in their building projects. Augmented with findings from an in‐depth case study, a clearer understanding into the mechanisms of defects and its causes is derived. With that, a conceptual framework for effective defects reduction, based on the ISO 9001 model of QA, is developed.

[1]  H. W. Chung.  Understanding quality assurance in construction : a practical guide to ISO9000 , 1999 .

[2]  Alan D. Russell,et al.  Construction quality management - present and future , 1998 .

[3]  Robert Jones,et al.  ISO 9000 among Australian companies: impact of time and reasons for seeking certification on perceptions of benefits received , 1997 .

[4]  W. B. Ledbetter,et al.  MEASURING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION QUALITY COSTS , 1989 .

[5]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  Determining the causal structure of rework influences in construction , 1999 .

[6]  Low Sui Pheng,et al.  Effectiveness of ISO 9000 in raising construction quality standards: some empirical evidence using CONQUAS scores , 1999 .

[7]  L. A. Clark,et al.  The effectiveness of formal quality management systems in achieving the required cover in reinforced concrete , 1996 .

[8]  W. A. Porteous.  Classifying building failure by cause , 1992 .

[9]  Sui Pheng Low,et al.  A construction quality costs quantifying system for the building industry , 1998 .

[10]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  Overcoming the problems associated with quality certification , 2000 .

[11]  Sadi Assaf,et al.  The effect of faulty construction on building maintenance , 1995 .

[12]  P.-E Josephson,et al.  The causes and costs of defects in construction. A study of seven building projects , 1999 .

[13]  Ramin Moatazed-Keani,et al.  ISO 9000 standards: perceptions and experiences in the UK construction industry , 1999 .

[14]  Ali Jaafari,et al.  Human Factors in the Australian Construction Industry: Towards Total Quality Management , 1996 .

[15]  Dj Carter,et al.  The challenge of assuring quality on site , 1993 .

[16]  David Seymour,et al.  The quality debate , 1990 .

[17]  Sui Pheng Low,et al.  The effective maintenance of quality management systems in the construction industry , 1997 .

[18]  Hareton K. N. Leung,et al.  Costs and benefits of ISO 9000 series: a practical study , 1999 .

[19]  Low Sui Pheng.  The rationalization of quality in the construction industry: Some empirical findings , 1993 .

[20]  H. Abdul-Rahman.  The cost of non-conformance during a highway project: a case study , 1995 .