Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program for Waste Management Facilities


EPA/600/A-94/247
QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM
FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES
BY
Robert E. Landreth
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the implementation of
quality assurance/quality control {QA/QC) programs for waste management
facilities. This support is in the form of documents (1), (2) in training
programs, (3) and in support of other programs such as National Institute for
Certifying Engineering Technologists (NICET) (4). Each of these areas have
their own objective and format but in total equal a program that we feel will
assist in obtaining state-of-the-art technology for waste management
facilities.
QA/QC procedures are widely recognized procedures that are critical to
constructing the facility that that was designed. In order to ensure that the
best designs and regulatory requirements are translated into waste facilities
that are protective of human health and the environment these facilities must
be constructed properly. It is assumed that not only the construction of the
facility but also the materials used in construction will have undergone a
QA/QC program.
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY
There are many people involved with QA/QC activities for designing,
permitting, constructing, and inspecting a waste management facility (see
Figure 1). Some of these people are:
Permitting Agency - It is the responsibility of this group to review
the design procedures to be used in construction
including the materials and inspection of the
final facility.
Owner/Operator - This organization will be the owner of the
facility and will operate the site. The
organization may be public or private and has
the responsibility of ensuring the facility is
designed and constructed in a manner that is
suitable to the permitting authority.
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Design
Engineer
Geosynthetic
Components
Manufacturer

I
> Owner/Operator 4
MQA/CQA
Organization
General
Contractor
Testing
Laboratory
Installation

Testing
Subcontractor

Laboratory
14 k
Testing
r *
Laboratory
I
MQA/CQA
Certification
Final
Approval Facility
Permitting
Agency
Testing
Laboratory
Natural Soil
Components
I
Earthwork
Subcontractor
-W CQC

Figure 1 - Organizational Structure of QA/QC Inspection Activities
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Owner's Representative
Design Engineer
Manufacturer
Fabricator
General Contractor
Installation Contractor ¦
Earthwork Contractor
CQC Personnel
MQA/CQA Engineer
MQA/CQA Personnel
Testing Laboratory
MQA/CQA Certify Engineer
The person in this position usually operates
between the owner and the rest of the people
involved in the facility. This person is
responsible for scheduling, meetings, field
activities and communication between all groups
associated with the project.
This person is to design a facility that
fulfills the operational requirements of the
owner/operator, meets the regulatory
requirements and complies with accepted design
practices. This person is involved to ensure
the design changes meet the objectives of the
site for quality.
The manufacture supplies components that are
manufactured. Minimum required specifications
are written. The steps taken by the
manufacturer are critical to overall quality
management in construction of waste management
facilities.
Some components are assembled from manufactured
materials. It is important that the end
products meet or exceed the minimum
specifications.
He has the overall responsibility for
construction of the waste management facility
and for CQC during construction. He buys
materials and arranges for them to be installed.
He installs manufactured products
This contractor is responsible for earthwork at
the site.
These people are responsible for ensuring that
the construction is as per specifications.
This person is responsible for overall QA/QC
activities.
These people make observations and perform field
test to ensure that a facility is constructed
according to specifications.
The laboratory is responsible for testing of
samples submitted from field.
This person is responsible for certifying that
the facility has been built to plans and
speci fications.
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Construction project management is essential. It all starts with a plan. The
plan is something that is not developed on a daily basis but is there from day
one. It explains who should do what and when. It will tell what reports are
necessary, what inspection reports are necessary, what to do when problems
arise, what corrective actions should take place, who should be doing it and
provides the documentation. Drawings and documents are very important.
Drawings are usually prepared on a daily basis to form the as-built drawings.
Final QA/QC documents, which can be voluminous, are certified and explain
procedures at the site.
Meetings
Communication is a necessary part of the construction process. All parties
must know, up front, who is responsible and what their authority is for
corrective actions. Prebid meetings will identify problems so that
owners/operators can correct them or explain to the construction personnel how
things will be done. Other meetings such as pre-construction and progress
meetings are equally important to identify and correct problems, identify
action items, and to improve overall quality of the project.
Weather
Weather plays an important role in construction of a waste management
facility. Installation of clay materials as well as geosynthetics is
particularly sensitive to weather conditions. Weather may restrict the
installation of certain materials at times and it is the responsibility of the
contractor to make sure these weather restrictions are observed during
construction.
EPA's Training Programs
The EPA is involved with not only the documentation of QA/QC activities, but
also the training needed for proper performance of those activities. EPA's
Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI) will stage a series of
training courses during the summer of 1994. These courses will be offered in
each of the EPA ten Regions and will be open to the public, at no cost.
The purpose of these training courses are to present information on a QA/QC
program that addresses both natural soils and geosynthetics. The information
includes a good description of principles and concepts, compacted soil liners,
soil drainage systems, geosynthetic drainage systems, vertical cut-off walls,
ancillary materials, appurtenances, and other details. The course will
identify critical QA/QC issues for each major segment of the industry and
recommend specific procedures, observations, tests, corrective actions, and
recordkeeping requirements.
In addition to Agency training, several independent groups have developed
course work that will train those in taking the NICET certification course.
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Certification
The EPA and Geosynthetic Research Institute (GRI) have supported the
development of a program for certifying inspectors for natural (soil) and
geosynthetic materials used in waste management facilities. The EPA and GRI
reviewed various certification programs before selecting the National
Institute for Certifying Engineering Technologies (NICET). NICET was selected
because they keep abreast of technology, manpower, application practices, and
educational trends. NICET has an established and recognized program that
evaluates the qualifications of those who voluntarily apply for certification,
administer written tests, and provides a schedule for attaining different
levels of achievement. The NICET program is now supported by industry,
academia and government agencies. Tables 1 and 2 are the recommended
implementation programs for construction quality control and construction
quality assurance.
Table 1 - Recommended Implementation Program for Construction Quality Control
(CQC) for Geosynthetics* (Beginning January 1, 1993)
No. of
Field Crews**
At Each Site
End of
18 Months
(i.e., June 30, 1994)
End of
36 Months
(i.e., January 1, 1996)
1-4
1 - Level II
1 - Level III***
> 5
1 - Level II
1 - Level III***

1 - Level I
1 - Level I
~Certification for natural materials is under development as of this writing
~~Performing a Critical Operation; Typically 4 to 6 People/Crew
~~~Or PE with applicable experience
Table 2 - Recommended Implementation Program for Construction Quality
Assurance (CQA) for Geosynthetics*(Beginning January 1, 1993)
No. of
Field Crews**
At Each Site
End of
18 Months
(i.e., June 30, 1994)
End of
36 Months
(i.e., January 1, 1996)
1-2
1 - Level II
1 - Level III***
3-4
1 - Level II
1 - Level I
1 - Level III***
1 - Level I
> 5
1	- Level II
2	- Level I
1 - Level III***
1 - Level II
1 - Level I
~Certification for natural materials is under development as of this writing
~~Performing a Critical Operation; Typically 4 to 6 People/Crew
***0r PE with applicable experience
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The program has been supported by other Federal Agencies, State, consultants,
and waste management firms. Testing has begun and the program is well
underway.
In addition, GRI has undertaken a task to certify laboratories. The program
is still in its infancy with the details of inspection of the laboratories,
what will go into a certification and the fee, still need to be determined.
The first round of laboratory visits is scheduled for the summer of 1994 with
discussion of the results before full implementation in 1995.
SUMMARY
The USEPA is supportive of QA/QC activities for waste management facilities.
The Agency is convinced that a good QA/QC program for waste facilities will
improve performance of these units. Included in these programs are Agency
developed manuals detailing personnel, inspection and testing requirements.
Added to this activity is the training of personnel via formal courses
developed by CERI and the public sector in developing courses for NICET
certification. Lastly, the Agency supports the development of certifying
inspectors (NICET) and the certification of laboratories testing materials
going into waste management facilities.
REFERENCES
1.	Environmental Protection Agency 1991. Technical Guidance Document:
Inspection Techniques for the Fabrication of Geomembrane Field Seams
EPA/530/SW-91/051, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH,
May 1991.
2.	Environmental Protection Agency 1993. Technical Guidance Document:
Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Waste Containment Facilities
EPA/600/R-93/182, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH,
September 1993.
3.	Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI), Office of Research
and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH,
45268.
4.	National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, 1420
King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2715.
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TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
(Please read Instructions on the reverse before completingJ
1. REPORT NO.
EPA/600/A-94/247
2.
3. RE<
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
Quality Assurance/
Quality Control Program For Waste Management Facilities
5. REPORT DATE
6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
7. AUTHOR(S)
Robert E. Landreth (513)569-7871
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
RREL/WMDDRD/MSWRMB
26 W. Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.
11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
12. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory—Cinti, OH
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
Published Paper
14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
EPA/600/14
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ,
Robert E. Landreth (513)569-7871. QA/QC Conference on Geosynthetic in Landfills,
May 23-25-,94, Montreal, Quebec, Canada* p:l-6
16. ABSTRACT
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the implementation of quality
assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programs for waste management facilities. This
support is in the form of documents (1), (2) in training programs, (3) and in support
of other programs such as National Institute for Certifying Engineering Technologists
(NICET) (4). Each of these areas have their own objective and format but in total equal
a program that we feel will assist in obtaining state-of-the-art technology for waste
management facilities.
QA/QC procedures are widely recognized procedures that are critical to constructing the
facility that that was designed. In order to ensure that the best designs and
regulatory requirements are translated into waste facilities that are protective of
human health and the environment these facilities must be constructed properly. It is
assumed that not only the construction of the facility but also the materials used in
construction will have undergone a QA/QC program.
KEY WORDS AND DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
a. DESCRIPTORS
b. IDENTIFIERS/OPEN ENDED TERMS
c. COSATl Field/Group
QA/QC
Permitting Agency
Owner/Operator
waste management facility
designing
Design Engineer


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RELEASE TO PUBLIC
19. SECURITY CLASS (This Report)
UNCLASSIFIED
21. NO. OF PAGES
7
20. SECURITY CLASS (This paset
UNCLASSIFIED
22. PRICE
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