After achieving 100% on a quality-audit undertaken by Leighton Contractors for the Ballina Bypass project, Hanson’s Ballina plant are celebrating their new title as the first ever plant to achieve a perfect score.

“Achieving a 100% audit compliance result is a real achievement for Hanson. It demonstrates that their quality systems are best practice and they’ve delivered continuous improvement throughout the three audits we’ve conducted over the last eighteen months, explains Joe Lally, Ballina Bypass Alliance Quality Manager.

“It’s a result that has never been achieved by any other concrete operation on any major infrastructure project I’ve been involved in,” he adds.

Steve Butterfield, Hanson’s dedicated Project Manager for the Ballina- Bypass explains how closely the audit evaluated each production pro ess at the plant.

“The audit covered all of the plant’s operations. That included their records management, data and design control procedures and quality-policy objectives. Our team’s onsite performance was evaluated against the quality commitment we pledged when initially signing the contract,” says Steve.

Steve also explains that a major quality-KPI goal for the project is to achieve less than a 5.5% Coefficient of Variation on Compression testing for all nineteen bridges being constructed.

“The RTA regards such a result as “outstanding” and having achieved it as part of the audit, we’re now on target to achieving an industry best practice and in the process, improving the benchmark for bridge construction,” he says.

It’s something the plant has achieved through an ongoing focus on reducing batch exemptions, completing regular material evaluations and by the drivers, batchers and managers consistently achieving the required slump results.