The collapse of Bomikhal railway overbridge that killed one person in Bhubaneswar on Sunday has broken the slumber of the works department. Sandeep Mishra of The Telegraph  takes a look at the rigorous quality-checking guidelines that the works department plans to implement for all ongoing bridges and road projects

Immediate backdrop

A portion of the under-construction 1.6km T-shaped overbridge connecting Saheed Nagar to Bomikhal and Rasulgarh came crashing down killing businessman Satyabrata Patnaik and injuring his eight-year-old daughter along with several labourers on Sunday. The incident has alarmed the works department, who now plan to implement a series a guidelines for its ongoing projects.

The guideline

The guideline called stage pass and quality control will take care of safety measures of construction projects, including road, bridge, building and culvert. It plans to ensure strict quality assurance and safety measures with periodic inspection of the projects and a close eye on the contractor’s activities.

Checklist for quality control

The guideline puts major focus on the quality of concrete used for construction. It says that for concrete work of any kind or grade, field engineers must inspect its reinforcement and quality before giving approval. The approval must be based on a specific format mentioned in the public works code. It also provides four checklists for field engineers to keep in mind while inspecting work at construction sites.

The checklists cover aspects such as general inspection, reinforcement inspection, inspection before approval of concrete and concrete delivery and pouring records.

An official of the works department said the quality of concrete was important since it was the base of any construction.

The checklist of the works department also provides a quality checking guideline. It says that engineers must inspect among other things thickness of metal, joints between panel, rod materials, rod spacing, bar size, and construction of safe access. It also advocates adequate workspace for labourers.

The quality checking parameters for concrete includes inspection of mixers, water, sand, cement, and crane. It also mandates safety arrangements at construction site, proper illumination, communication between various points and having in place procedures to stop concrete pouring in case of an emergency.

The guidelines stipulate field engineers to intimate contractors and visit worksites on a fortnightly or monthly basis. It also advocates that field engineers should make surprise visits to the sites at any preferred time.