TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

About S.K.P. international services limited

Introduction to site work

Site safety precautions

Site layout considerations

CHAPTER 2

Construction terms and techniques

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

CHAPTER 3

Site meetings

CHAPTER 4

Conclusion

CHAPTER 1:

About S.K.P. international services limited

INTRODUCTION TO SITE WORK

I was introduced by my supervisor to the construction site, the contractor, project

manager, and site engineers in charge of the on-going project who further exposed
me to proper site work. Site work involves the entire process involved in the
construction of a building and onsite the following factors must be considered and
applied for effectiveness.

SAFETY FACTORS:

Safety is an important consideration at any construction site, but I was made to

understand that on a site with a high rise building, extra safety is of crucial
importance and should be everyone's primary concern because construction of
buildings at great heights such as the OPIC building in Abeokuta can be a dangerous
activity. Safety is based on knowledge, skill, and an attitude of care and concern
.Thus safety factors includes all the measures carried out to protect both the
worker, consultants, contractors and all persons present on the site at every given
time from fatalities and injuries, and as well as minimize or eliminate all possible
construction hazards. This safety measures can also be applied to the safety of the
building and building materials from damage of any kind.

Safety precaution guide lines for workers and persons present on a

construction site.

1.
Proper clothing is as essential to safety. Wear clothes that are smart and
appropriate for the site work and weather conditions. Loose clothing is dangerous
for workers around power tools and equipment.

2.
Footwear must be safety boots or work boots that are thick-soled shoes in
order to protect the feet from falling objects or from penetration by nails, and
should have non-slip soles. Sandals or other types of inappropriate footwear are
hazardous on construction site.

3.
Protective head gear (helmets or hard hats) must always be worn on a
construction site by all persons for protection of the head from falling objects of any
kind.

4.
Suspension belts are of crucial importance for site workers working at very
high levels.

5.
All exposed areas or parts of a building must be adequately protected with
temporary rail or supports and staircases must be protected with temporary
balustrades.

6.
All scaffolding that is elevated 10 feet or more must be equipped with a
safety railing. All scaffolds must be equipped with a toe board to eliminate the

possibility that tools or debris will be kicked or pushed onto people below. A scaffold
must be designed to support four times the weight of the workers and the materials
resting on it.

7.
Inspect all scaffolding each day before using it. Never use damaged or
defective equipment and avoid rusted parts since their strength is unknown. When
erecting scaffolding, provide adequate sills for the scaffold posts and use base
plates. Use adjusting screws, not blocks, when on an uneven grade. Make sure to
plumb and level scaffolding and do not force end braces when constructing the
scaffolding.

8.
Use only properly graded and inspected lumber for planking. Inspect
planking daily for splits and knots, and remove defective or damaged planking.

9.

Be always aware and alert of your surroundings.

10. A clean work place is a safe work place. This refers to the neatness and good
order of the construction site. Keep the site clear of danger as you work remove
nails from waste wood, move trip hazards and obstacles, etc. They interfere with
work and can constitute a hazard to both the worker and other persons on the site.

11. Any unsafe conditions or practices that is observed should IMMEDIATELY be

reported to the site project manager.

12. Emergency medical care in form of first aid assistance (first aid kit) must be
provided on the site and must be easily identifiable and nearby.

SITE LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

On the construction site, it was observed that certain site layout considerations
were observed so that items such as temporary structures, stationary plants, stores,
toilets(conveniences) and materials are placed in the most strategic and convenient
positions. These considerations are stated below:

Access to and within the site

Temporary access to the site requiring access both through and fro the site. Route
to and from the site must be checked in other to select the best suitable for
transporting equipment and materials to the site. Circulation on site for deliveries
must be carefully considered.

Site security considerations

The primary aim for security is to protect against theft, vandals, and trespassers.
Security provisions include: Adequate lighting at night and flood lighting which
Lights up the construction site and the building structure.

CHAPTER 2

CONSTRUCTION TERMS AND TECHNIQUES

The Construction techniques and terms described in this report involves the various
methods of construction carried out in the course of building construction for both
structural and non-structural elements of the building. While onsite, certain terms
were used during the construction. These terms could be referred to as technical
terms or site terms or language being used by the site workers. As an
architect, adequate knowledge of these terms must be paid attention to in order
communicate effectively with the workers. Below are some site terms and
definitions..

BLOCKWORK

This is the process of laying concrete masonry units to form either external walls as
in-fills or lock wall which are load-bearing or non- load bearing or internal walls as
partitions. These masonry units are commonly hollow sand-crete blocks which are
much economical per unit of wall area. The standard sand-crete block wall is
explained below;

Sequence of laying of sand-crete block wall:

A bed of mortar is spread on the footing/floor.

The first course of blocks for a lead is laid on the mortar. The mortar for the head
joint is applied to the end of each block with the trowel before the block is laid.

The lead is built higher. Mortar is normally applied only to the face shells of the
block and not to the webs.

As each new course is started on the lead, its height is checked with either a
folding rule or a story pole marked with the height of each course.

A line is stretched between the leads on line blocks.

The course between the leads are laid rapidly by aligning each block with the
stretched line.

The last block to be installed in each course of infill blocks, the closer must be
inserted between blocks that have already been laid then the block is lowered
carefully into position.

PLASTERING

Plastering is the most common treatment for external and internal walls to help
withstand weather conditions. Plasters are used to render, run an uneven surface
into a smooth level surface. Plaster is a mixture of sand and cement at a ratio of 4:1

or 3:1(i.e. 8/6 head pans to1 bag of cement). Plastering is also used to correct
mistakes and to provide a smooth surface area for other finishing types like
painting.

FLOATING

Floating is the backing coat that is usually made of plaster such as Plaster of
Paris(P.O.P)

that provides a true or smooth surface for the final finishing coat on a wall after
plastering has been carried out on a wall surface. Most importantly, floating is
carried out on wall surfaces to fill up all uneven areas on a wall surface and may be
applied on the internal or external surface of walls, and also on ceilings. On majority
of the sites I went to, all the internal walls were floated with P.O.P after cement
plastering was done.

SCAFFOLD

A Scaffold is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the

construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular
system of metal pipes, although it can be made out of other materials. The purpose
of a working scaffold is to provide a safe place of work with safe access suitable for
the work being done. All scaffolds must be equipped with a toe board to eliminate
the possibility that tools or debris will be kicked or pushed onto people below. A
scaffold must be designed to support four times the weight of the workers and the
materials resting on it.

Erecting of scaffolds

Back on site, scaffolds were erected round the structure as seen in the picture to
enable works to be carried out at various parts of the building and at various
heights.

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FORMWORK

Concrete must be given form by casting it in a mould. These moulds are known as
formwork or shuttering.

A Formwork is the term given to either temporary or permanent mould into

whichconcrete or similar materials are poured.

Shutters are another type of formwork made of steel metal also known as shutters
panels.

They are flat metal panels made of steel which are assembled together to make the
complete formwork and are specially used to cast concrete columns in high rise
reinforced concrete frame structures. They are usually tight enough to prevent the
loss of fine materials. Erection of the shutters are usually orderly, simple and all the
units are of sizes that can be easily handled. It gives the column a smooth face.

TILING

Tiling in general terms can be defined as the cladding of a surface. We have floor
tiling and wall tilling (both external and internal walls). For example, the female
hostel porters lodge at university of agriculture, abeokuta (UNAAB),the toilet walls
were laid with ceramic tiles. The floor was tiled with vitrified ceramic tiles.

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Illustrates floor tilling with vitrified tiles.

Tiles come in two forms namely:

Vitrified tiles: these are tiles with the same properties all through, i.e. when
wearing occurs, the subsequent layers have the same texture, density and material.
They are mainly used for external walls and floors.

Ceramic tiles: these tiles are made with clay and laminated surfaces, they are
usually used for toilets and kitchen tilling. Surface finish for tiles are either glazed or
unglazed and the material used for making the tiles include stones, clay, and
plastics, etc.

CURTAIN WALL

Curtain walls are glass walls typically designed to span multiple floors and allow
the penetration of day light into the building envelope, resist air and water
infiltration, and provide an architecturally pleasing faade of a building. They carry
no dead-load the building other than its own dead load, but rather transfer the
horizontal loads applied to it. These loads are transferred to the main building
structure through connections at floors or columns of the building.

CURTAIN WALL FRAMES

Curtain wall frames are made of extruded aluminium frames known as aluminium
extrusions. They are factory made and designed in units and assembled unit by unit
on site.

FIXING OF CURTAIN WALL FRAMES

When fixing curtain wall frames, the frames are screwed to the floor slab made of
mass concrete with an electrical power drill and also screwed to the top which is the
soffit of the floor slab.

PARAPET WALL

A parapet wall is a protective wall constructed on the perimeter edge/area of a roof

slab to protect rain water accumulation on the gutter /drainage of the roof slab from
draining down the sides of a building. It is usually of reinforced concrete and cast-insitu. On site, a parapet wall was constructed to a height of 1.0m.

ROOF GUTTER

Roof gutter is the drainage path created on a flat roof slab to channel accumulated
rain water for the roofing sheet into the drainage pipes on the roof slab.

DRAINAGE PIPES

Drainage pipes are pipes installed on the roof slab to drain rain/storm water on roof
slab. They are channelled through the roof beams and connected to the exterior
columns which are then sent down to the inspection chamber. They are made of
PVC plastic pipes and are100mm in diameter width.

FELTING

Felting of a roof slab involves the protection of the exposed concrete surface of the
roof from water penetration and infiltration, and all forms of damp and moist actions
by laying a thick damp proof membrane on the roof slab. One of the most common
felts applied on roof slab sis the bituminous felt. It is hot mopped with asphalt to
create a strong damp proof membrane.

........................................................

BUILDING SERVICES

In the construction of any building, there are two main services that must be
provided in the building in order to create a comfortable and habitable internal
building environment for the building occupants. These services are divided into two
main branches namely:

Electrical engineering services

Mechanical engineering services

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES

The involvement of electrical engineering services is to supply electricity,

telephone, data outlets and provide lighting and power points in the building. They
also determine the best suited for generators. During the 3-months period on site, I
was able to learn how all these are applied.

ELECTRICAL TERMINOLOGIES

Electrical 1st- fix:

This term is used to describe the fixing of PVC pipes of 13mm diameter called
Conduit Pipes

and circular boxes before casting of the floor slab is done. The circular boxes are
outlets for the lighting points while the wires are passed through the conduit pipes.

As illustrated here>>>>>

the conduit pipes have already been laid prior to the floor screeding.

Trunking

This is a term used to denote a protective casing for wires. There are two common
types.

Cable tray

Cable basket

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES

Ventilation systems/Air conditioning systems:

Central air conditioning is an air conditioning system which uses ducts to distribute
cooled and/or dehumidified air to more than one room, or uses pipes to distribute
chilled water to heat exchangers in more than one room, and which is not plugged
into a standard electrical outlet. Central air conditioning performs like a regular air
conditioner but has several added benefits. When the air handling unit turns on,
room air is drawn in from various parts of the building through

Return-air ducts: This air is pulled through a filter where airborne particles such as
dust and lint are removed. Sophisticated filters may remove microscopic pollutants
as well. The filtered air is routed to air supply ductwork that carries it back to rooms.
Whenever the air conditioner is running, this cycle repeats continually because the
central air conditioning unit is located outside the office spaces, it offers a lower
level of indoor noise than a free-standing air conditioning unit.

FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

Basically two fire-fighting systems were used during my stay on site;

Wet system

Dry system.

WET SYSTEM.

The wet system consists of reducers and sprinkler heads.

EXPANSION JOINT

Expansion joints are structural joints in a building that are created to allow for the
thermal expansion and contraction of a building that occurs in concrete when
loaded. In the construction of fence that I witnessed, the expansion joints were
created uniquely for this purpose. The expansion joints were created right from the
foundation up to the roof level of the building. They are created to accommodate
structural movements.

CONCRETE

Concrete is a mixture of coarse and fine aggregates, cement and water which is
allowed to harden. Coarse aggregate used on site is normally gravel and Fine
aggregate is sand.

Concrete mixes/ratio:

Concrete slump test:

On site, before any concrete is cast into the formwork or mould, a slump test is
always carried out on it to test for its consistency and quality check to determine
the desired degree of workability. Freshly mixed concrete is an unstable mixture of
solids and liquids. If it is vibrated excessively, and dropped from a height, it is likely
to segregate, which means that the coarse aggregate work sits way to the bottom
of the form and the water and cement paste rise to the top. The result is concrete of
non-uniform and with unsatisfactory properties.

Curing of concrete

Concrete cures by hydration and not by drying. Thus, it is essential that the
concrete must be moist until its required strength is achieved. Maximum strength
for concrete is attained after 28days(4 weeks) of curing. If it is allowed to dry at any
point during this timeframe, the strength of the cured concrete will be reduced and
its surface hardness and durability are likely to be adversely affected.

REINFORCEMENT BARS

Concrete has no useful tensile strength and is limited in its structural uses. Steel
reinforcement bars are used in concrete columns beams, and slabs. Reinforcement
bars have various diameter sizes. They come in 12mm,16mm 18mm, 20mm 24mm
30mm and 32mmdiameter sizes.

CASTING

Casting is the process of pouring concrete mix into a mould or form laid with
reinforcement bars to form a solid mass structure.

Casting a concrete wall

Vertical reinforcing bars are first wired to the dowels that project from the
foundation footing and horizontal bars are wired to the vertical bars as seen in the
illustration below.

The formwork is erected. Sheets of plywood form the face of the concrete and are
supported by wooden studs. The studs are supported against the pressure of the
wet concrete by horizontal supports.

The concrete is then poured, compacted and cured.

CHAPTER 3

SITE MEETINGS

During my training, site meetings were held every two weeks on a Tuesday. The
essence of the site meetings is dissipating instructions to the contractors and to
assess the progress of the project. The site meeting is chaired by the project
architect who gives out all instructions. During the meetings, all the consultants are
expected to be present in order to obtain an update of a weekly report on each of
their jurisdictions as regards the building project from the contractors. Issues from
what material should be used to the ordering of materials and expenses made are
discussed in full length and all issues or problems encountered are presented to the
architect for instructions. After a few site meetings, my supervisor handed over the
task of writing the minutes of the meeting to me. This i did until my last site
meeting on the site. During the meeting, everyone is presented with their copy of
the minute and is expected to file them afterwards. The site meeting for the
building project is expected to be held till the project is completed and handed over
to the clients.

CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, as a student of architecture, i have been able to obtain

the most relevant and effective practical industrial training and experience in a
duration of three months(3months) having been exposed to practical on-site
situations and activities. Furthermore, an awareness of the general workplace has
been developed in me and I have acquired important behaviour and interpersonal
skills with the opportunity giving me to get a feel of the work environment and
exposure as a student to the architects responsibilities and ethics .Finally, I would
like to state that the SIWES programme is a very relevant and necessary
programme for all students that must be taken advantage of by every student for
each students professional development prior to graduation