In short: Missing re-entrant bars, steel without cover, mesh against pipes and penetrations with no termite collar. All recorded at one Tallawong slab, all invisible a day later.
One slab, six items
The list from a Tallawong pre-pour inspection in August 2026 read: no re-entrant bars at internal corners, insufficient cover at the edges, mesh touching plumbing, no termite collars, an external beam over 300mm wide without its extra bar and loose waffle pods.
The two that matter most
Corner bars control the shrinkage crack that starts at every inside corner. Termite collars close the gap around each pipe through the slab. Both are required, both are cheap and both are gone from view once the concrete is in.
The rest of the list
Cover protects the steel from rust. A 25mm gap keeps mesh off pipes. Fixed pods hold beam widths. Each was corrected because the report reached the builder the same day.
Booking the slab check
Ask your supervisor for the pour date as soon as the formwork is going in, and book for the day before. An hour on site is all it takes on a typical Tallawong lot.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Tallawong. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
