[aaron695]

Sorry, I mean a high school educated concrete pumper with 20 years experience will rote learn what the standards are. So the workers should see it's less than standard.

For something to be really off standard, it has to be complex or using illegal immigrant workers or something that is hard to see, like a bad concrete mix being brought in.

It also needs a reason. The cost benefit has to be more than risk. The builders won't risk a $xx million building by saving on re-bar. A contractor might, but they'd have to get away with it.

[throwawayboise]

It was 1979. The height of Mafia control over large building projects especially anything using cement. I would be totally unsurprised if corners were cut to reduce costs and pad the pockets of some capo who was running the union on that job.