Code of Conduct
As an ASA Qualified Shotcrete Contractor we agree to ongoing compliance with the requirements and standards set forth in the ASA Shotcrete Contractor Qualification Program Description. We will not knowingly or purposefully violate any project specifications or requirements. We agree to maintain the required insurance coverage, staff our projects with trained and certified personnel, and strive to produce a high-quality product in a safe and professional manner.
Agreement
- a) The ASA decisions concerning qualification, including but not limited to the decision of the CQC shall be final and binding;
- b) The applicant will not institute legal action of any kind to challenge those decisions;
- c) Neither the ASA nor its members, officers, employees or representatives (including but not limited to the members of the CQC) shall be subject to any claim for legal or equitable relief (including but not limited to money judgements and injunctive relief) arising out of those decisions; and, in any event,
- d)Neither the ASA nor its members, officers, employees or representatives (including but not limited to the members of the CQC) shall be liable for consequential or incidental damages of any kind as a result of the ASA Qualification program. The applicant further agrees that if it commences legal action in violation of this agreement, it shall be responsible for paying all costs and expenses, including attorney fees incurred by ASA and/or its members, officers, employees or representatives in the course of defending that legal action.
Indemnification:
In the event that any party asserts a claim for personal injury, property damage, economic loss of other damages against ASA and/or its members, officers, employees or representatives arising out of or relating to the acts or omissions of an ASA Qualified Shotcrete Contractor, the ASA Qualified Shotcrete Contractor shall, upon request, defend and indemnify ASA and/or its members, officers, employees or representatives and hold them harmless from all damages, judgement, costs, losses and expenses, including attorney fees, resulting from said claim.
Authorization:
I have read and agreed to the above disclosures. I authorize the verification of the information provided on this form and declare that it is accurate to the best of my knowledge. By checking this box, I authorize my consent.
Contractor Qualification Program
When you have completed your application and compiled all required documents, you are ready to submit your application.
Checklist of Required Materials to Upload:
- ASA Seminar Certificate of Completion
- ASA CQ Program Status Report (Exam score)
- Current Contractor’s License
- Current Insurance Certificate
- Current Letter of Bonding Capacity
- Completed ASA CQ Application pdf
- Completed ASA CQ Application xlsx – 3 tabs: Equipment, Field Teams, & Projects
- Application Fee – Payable online after submission
Copyright © American Shotcrete Association
ASA administers the Shotcrete Contractor Qualification as a review service for shotcrete contractors, providing them with objective, experienced review of their projects, equipment, and company structure for project owners who might have less experience evaluating shotcrete work. This review is conducted by the Review Task Group within the Contractor Qualification Committee, whose members have extensive experience in successful shotcrete work. This qualification program provides a distinct service to the industry by assuring specifiers that shotcrete contractors reviewed here have a proven work record for completion of successful projects of similar work and scope. This qualification program is based on the ASA Board Position Paper, “Qualifications of the Shotcrete Construction Team.”
Structural Levels of Qualification:
There are two structural levels of qualification, Level I and Level II in the process(es), i.e. wet-mix or dry-mix, to the work performed by applicant.
- Qualified Shotcrete Contractor – Structural Level I (QSC – SI) Shotcrete Contractor (Level I) – Representative projects which have thin, lightly-reinforced shotcrete sections that can be easily accessed and placed would be considered “Level I”.
- Qualified Shotcrete Contractor – Structural Level II (QSC – SII) Shotcrete Contractor (Level II) – Representative projects which have thick, heavily-reinforced sections or sections with difficult access would be considered “Level II”.
Program Requirements:
- Identify a Qualifying Individual (QI) to attend the required CQ Seminar and successfully complete the required written exam. Please contact ASA for the next available seminar: [email protected] | 248/983.1702. (The seminar will also provide helpful insights for completion of the CQ application.)
- Documentation of company equipment and shotcrete staff, including list of certified shotcreters (previously known as nozzlemen)
- Documentation of FIFTEEN (15) projects successfully completed in the last 3 – 5 years (per level pursued) representative of the level of qualification pursued in the application.
Click here to review the full policy for help in completing your application
If you have any questions, please contact ASA at 248.983.1702 or [email protected]
Copyright © American Shotcrete Association
All Those Small Numbers We Ignore – What Do They Mean?
We have all seen those small letters and numbers that mark practically everything we use in construction. To most, these are meaningless markings that are meant for someone else. However, with shotcrete, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Getting Back to Work
The COVID-19 Pandemic affected our lives in ways none of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes. I’ve been in construction for 45 years and I have never seen our economy shut down, businesses closed, or people required to stay at home. In 2001, the attacks of September 11th temporarily shut down air travel and the stock market, but the American economy remained intact and air travel resumed within a couple of weeks. However, COVID-19, has affected our lives in ways that we could never have imagined. Schools and universities were closed; professional, collegiate and high school sports seasons were suspended and canceled; and restaurants and businesses were closed. We were told to stay home and work remotely, if possible, and businesses across the country followed those directives.
OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Rule on Shotcrete Operations – Revisited
This is a revised version of the original article printed in the Summer 2016 of Shotcrete magazine before the OSHA rule was put in place. This revision has added site measured values for air monitoring of crew members on shotcrete projects, as well as ASA’s response to OSHA’s request for information in August 2019. Also, included is a short section on applicable respirators. With this revision our intent is to put the current information you need about the OSHA rule and its impact on shotcrete operations in one place for ready reference.
Please discuss the differences in curing/shrinking cracking challenges for wet-mix shotcrete versus dry-mix shotcrete (gunite). In my limited experience, wet-mix shotcrete tends to crack easier than dry-mix shotcrete. In general terms, or on average is gunite more porous, but less likely to show cracks?
Both wet-mix and dry-mix shotcrete when using proper materials, equipment and placement techniques will produce high strength, low permeability concrete in-place. Dry-mix shotcrete will tend to have a lower w/cm since water is added to the dry concrete materials at the nozzle. Wet-mix needs a higher w/cm and a fairly high cement paste content to facilitate pumpability. This can make wet-mix more susceptible to plastic or drying shrinkage cracking than dry-mix. However, cracking in either dry-mix or wet-mix shotcrete can be controlled by using fogging of freshly finished surfaces and then early curing of exposed shotcrete surfaces.
Wet-mix still has very low w/cm (0.40 to 0.45) to allow vertical and overhead placement without sloughing or falling out and is lower than much of the form-and-poured concrete. The low w/cm and high velocity impact produces excellent compressive strength and low permeability. Properly placed dry-mix will have similar compressive strength and permeability as wet-mix. strength gain.
I would like to know how could I obtain an expert opinion from ASA stating that a particular person specializes in gunite (dry-mix shotcrete) operations and that the person is amply qualified to perform such work?
ASA is the international trade association dedicated to advancement of shotcrete placement. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has a long history of certification of individual craftsmen in concrete construction. Nearly 20 years ago ASA worked closely with ACI to establish the ACI Shotcrete Nozzleman certification program to evaluate a nozzleman’s ability to place quality shotcrete. ASA is the primary group that conducts the ACI Nozzleman Certification sessions around the world. We provide a full day of education before the formal ACI certification and have a team of examiners with proven shotcrete expertise to rigorously conduct the sessions to ACI’s high standards. Many engineers specify that all the nozzlemen on their projects must have ACI Nozzleman Certification. Many concrete-related codes, specifications and standards require ACI-certified shotcrete nozzleman for shotcrete placement of structural concrete.
Thus, ASA doesn’t offer an expert opinion on individuals as an association but provide the ASA education and ACI certification upon request. You will find full details of the session services we can provide on our website at shotcrete.org/ education then clicking on the “Shotcrete Nozzleman Certification Program” link. An article that covers in greater detail the overall shotcrete nozzleman education and certification process ACI Nozzleman Certification—Why, Who, When, and How can be found on our website: shotcrete.org/ wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2018Win_Hanskat.pdf
Also, many of our corporate members offer consulting services. You can find them in our free, online Buyer’s Guide at Shotcrete.org/BuyersGuide. On the web page you can select the category, subcategory and geographic location to narrow your search.