Dedicated site laboratories

What scale of project justifies a site laboratory?

Volume, distance and programme pressure together, rather than any one of them on its own. A site laboratory starts to make sense on long earthworks and civil engineering programmes generating testing daily rather than weekly, on remote sites where couriering samples adds a day in each direction, and where results have to come back fast enough to release the next layer. Below that, scheduled visits with laboratory testing alongside are usually the better arrangement.

Which tests are carried out on site and which stay in a fixed laboratory?

The high-volume, time-critical tests go on site and the specialist or long-duration ones stay in the fixed laboratory. In practice that usually means moisture content, compaction and density work, moisture condition value, grading, plasticity and concrete cube making and curing on site, while soaked CBR, frost heave, abrasion, soundness and similar methods run centrally. The split is agreed when the laboratory is planned and depends on the material and the schedule.

What decisions does having the laboratory on site let you make the same day?

Mostly the ones that hold the works up: whether placed fill sits within its specified moisture range, whether a layer has reached the required density and can be covered, and whether imported material matches what was tested at source. Getting those answers within hours rather than days means material can be reworked while the plant is still there. It also shortens the loop when a result comes back short and something has to be done about it.

What does the site have to provide for a site laboratory?

Space for the cabins on firm level ground with vehicle access for delivery and lifting, a reliable power supply, water and drainage, lighting, heating and welfare for the staff based there. Curing tanks need water, a drain and a stable temperature, so their position needs some thought. The laboratory also has to stay put for the duration, which on a live site means agreeing a location the works will not need later.

What does a site laboratory contain?

Cabins fitted out with benching, drying ovens, balances, sieves, compaction and CBR moulds with rammers or a vibrating hammer, moisture and density equipment, sample storage and the calibration and records systems that go with them. Where concrete testing is included, curing tanks and a compression machine are added. The equipment is matched to the material types and testing volumes agreed for the scheme rather than fitted out to a standard list.

Who staffs the laboratory and how is the work supervised?

Technicians based on site, working to the same procedures, competence records and quality system as our fixed laboratory, with technical supervision and audit from outside the site team. Staffing levels are set by the testing volume the programme generates and flexed as that changes. Arrangements for cover during holidays, sickness and shutdown periods are worth settling at the planning stage rather than when the first absence arrives.

If we set a site laboratory up on our project, will its results be accredited?

Not by default. Accreditation is specific to listed methods, materials and locations, so a project facility is not automatically covered by the scope held for a permanent laboratory. Hixtra holds UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for the tests listed in its schedule of accreditation, number 8996. Tell us at the planning stage which results your specification needs accredited, because the arrangements for that have to be made well ahead of mobilisation.

How long does it take to set a site laboratory up?

Weeks rather than days, which makes it a conversation for tender stage or early pre-construction rather than the week before earthworks start. Cabins, power and water connections, equipment procurement and calibration, staffing and any accreditation arrangements all carry lead times, and they overlap rather than run in sequence. We'll confirm a realistic mobilisation date against your programme once the scope is agreed.

Can testing still be sent to a fixed laboratory while the site laboratory is running?

Yes, and it normally is. The site laboratory handles the routine daily testing, while specialist methods, long-duration tests and anything outside its equipment or scope go centrally under the same instruction and the same reporting route. That keeps one set of references and one register across the project. Sample transport for the central work is built into the routine rather than arranged test by test.

Can the laboratory be scaled up or down as the programme changes?

Yes. Testing demand on a major scheme rarely stays level: earthworks peak in the drier months, structures and pavement work bring different tests, and a winter shutdown cuts volume sharply. Staffing and equipment can be adjusted against the forecast, provided changes are flagged with enough notice to move people and calibrate anything new. Reviewing forecast against actual test numbers keeps the facility the right size for the job.

What happens when the laboratory is demobilised at the end of the job?

It is demobilised to an agreed date: equipment removed and returned for recalibration, retained samples and surplus material dealt with as agreed, and the standing cleared and handed back. Records, the test register and any outstanding reports are issued before the team leaves, with data supplied in the format agreed at the start. Set the notice period for demobilisation in the contract rather than negotiating it at the end.

What do you need to price a site laboratory?

Send the programme duration, the testing schedule with estimated volumes by method, the site location, the facilities the site can provide and whether accredited results are required. Cost is driven mainly by duration and staffing, then by equipment, cabins, services and the mobilisation and demobilisation, so an accurate view of the peak testing rate matters more than the total test count. Call 01908 505833 and we'll work through the outline with you.