If the measured slump is outside the project-specified range, what is the required course of action?

If the measured slump is outside the project-specified range, what is the required course of action?

• A. Immediately proceed with placement
• B. Increase water on site
• C. Notify the producer and contractor, document the condition, and take corrective action such as retesting or adjusting the mix per spec
• D. Ignore the deviation

Answer: (C)

Slump measures how workable fresh concrete is and must fall within the project’s specified range to ensure it can be properly placed, consolidated, and finished while achieving the intended strength. When the measured slump is outside that range, the right course is to stop and act through the project’s QA process: notify the producer and contractor, document the deviation, and pursue corrective action per the specs. This usually means retesting the batch or adjusting the mix design (for example, changing water content or admixtures) and then rechecking the slump to confirm it’s back in range before proceeding. Prospective placement with an out-of-range slump can lead to poor compaction, segregation, and strength issues, so simply proceeding isn’t acceptable. Adding water on site alters the mix proportion and undermines the specified performance, and ignoring the deviation bypasses essential quality control.

Slump measures how workable fresh concrete is and must fall within the project’s specified range to ensure it can be properly placed, consolidated, and finished while achieving the intended strength. When the measured slump is outside that range, the right course is to stop and act through the project’s QA process: notify the producer and contractor, document the deviation, and pursue corrective action per the specs. This usually means retesting the batch or adjusting the mix design (for example, changing water content or admixtures) and then rechecking the slump to confirm it’s back in range before proceeding.

Prospective placement with an out-of-range slump can lead to poor compaction, segregation, and strength issues, so simply proceeding isn’t acceptable. Adding water on site alters the mix proportion and undermines the specified performance, and ignoring the deviation bypasses essential quality control.