hassen nigusie

2014

Hassen Nigusie

ID NO. 983/03

HOSTING COMPANY:

Yesuf Abera building contractor

2/18/2014

BAHIRDARUNIVERSTY BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHONOLOGY (BIT)

SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND WATER RESORSING ENGINEERING

DEPARTEMENT CIVIL ENGINEERING

Internship Report 2006

I

B

DECLARATION

I, Hassen Nigusie, hereby declare that this internship report is submitted by me under the

guidance of my mentor Ato Tadesse. I assure that the report contains actual events and

facts that was observed and performed during my internship practice program. All the

contents are my own and has not been submitted to any other institute.

Mentor: - Tadesse signature: _________________

Student: - Hassen Nigusie signature: _______________


II

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1- a) cement being stored ……………………………….……………9

Figure 1 b) reinforcement storing ..................................................................…...9

Figure2 block arrangement of on the floor and ribbed beam ………………….12

Figure 3 mesh bar arrangement on the ribbed slab…………………...………12

Figure 4 box of benching …………………………………………......................14

Figure 5 CONCRETE Mixing………………………………………………….15

Figure 6 a) compacting and casting concrete column ……………….……...16

Figure 6 b) slab casting …………………………………………………………16

Figure 7 Concrete spacers with cast in wires ……………………………………17

Figure 8 Mould for making spacers ……………………………………………18

Figure 9 stair case formwork …………………………………………………19

Figure 10 slab formwork………………………………………………............19

Figure 11 column form work…………………………………………………..20

Figure 12 a) mesh bar reinforcement …………………………………………21

Figure 12 b) column reinforcement …………………………………………...21

Figure 13 backfill of shear wall ……...…………………………………………22


III

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1- Machineries and Equipment’s owned by the company …………… 5

Table 2- the first format for takeoff sheet for reinforcement bars …………23

Table 3- The second format for takeoff sheet for reinforcement bars ……..24

Table 4- Format for takeoff sheet for concrete and formwork ……………25s

LIST OF CHARTS

Chart 1 Organizational structure ……………………………………………….4

Chart 2 Work flow on the site ………………………………………………….. 8

TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT page no.

DECLARATION ………………………………………………………I

LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………II

LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………...…III

LIST OF CHARTS ……………………………………………………………..III

TABLE OF CONTENT....………………………………………………………III

Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………VI

Executive Summary ………………………………………………VII

1. Background of the hosting company ……………………………………..1

1.1 company history ………………………………………………….……1

1.2 goals of the company …………………………………………...……...2


IV

1.3 organizational structure ………………………………………..……..4

1.4 facilities ………………………………………………………...……….5

2. overall internship experience …………………………………………..…5

2.1. How I got the company …………………………...………………………5

2.2. The section that I have been working in …………………………………7

2.3. The workflow on the site …………………………………………………8

2.4. Some of the main construction materials used in the site is the ff………8

2.4.1. Store keeping in the site …………………………………………………..9

2.5. Work task I have been executing ………………………………………....9

2.5.1. Site work ………………………………………………………………......10

2.5.1.1. Supervising the works ………………………………………………10

2.5.1.1.1. Ribbed slab ……………………………………………………………11

2.5.1.1.2. Data collection ………………………………………………………12

2.5.1.2. Checking and supervising the mix ratios of concert ………………..13

2.5.1.2.1. Materials for concrete ………………………………………………13

2.5.1.2.2. Benching ………………………………………………………………14

2.5.1.2.3. Concrete mixing ……………………………………………………15

2.5.1.2.4. Casting of concrete ……………………………………...……………16

2.5.1.2.5. Curing of concrete ……………………………………………………17

2.5.1.3. Control the amount of concrete and ling the production and use of

spacers ……............................................................................................17

2.5.1.4. Form work …………………………………………………………….18

2.5.1.5. Reinforcement work …………………………………………………..20

2.5.1.6. Backfill of soil on shear wall under the basement ………………….21

2.5.2. Office works ………………………………………………………………22

2.5.2.1. Preparing takeoff sheet ………………………………………………22


V

2.5.2.2. Preparing of the amount of concrete and formwork required …….24

2.5.2.2.1. To calculate formwork area needed for ……………………………..25

2.5.2.3. Bill of quantity ………………………………………………………...26

2.5.2.4. Determining the manpower output ………………………………….27

2.6. Challenges ………………………………………………………………...28

3. Overall internship benefits …………………………………………………28

3.1. Improvement of practical skills …………………………………………29

3.2. Upgrading theoretical knowledge ………………………………………29

3.3. Interpersonal communication …………………………………………30

3.4. Team playing skills ……………………………………………………….31

3.5. Leadership skill …………………………………………………………..32

3.6. Work ethics ………………………………………………………………32

3.7. Entrepreneurship skill ……………………………………………….......33

4. Conclusion and recommendation ………………………………………….34

4.1. Conclusion …………………………………………………………….......34

4.2. Recommendation …………………………………………………………35

5. Reference ………………………………………………………………….....36


VI

Acknowledgement

First and foremost I would like to thank my GOD for his endless guidance in my life and for giving

me strength and ability to finish this internship period with love, success and happiness. He gives

me family and friends to support me all the time.

Secondly, I would like to thank my mentor for his serious and continuous supervision on

my work and reports, also to the project manager for his cooperation to allow me to spend the

internship period with their company, and lastly to the company worker for sharing me their

knowledge without any doubt.

I would like to thank BAHIR DAR UNVERSITY Institute of Technology for providing

this internship program for their student since it is a great opportunity for the student to get

practical knowledge.


VII

Executive Summary

It is a clear fact that the knowledge of construction engineering cannot be upgraded without

practical experience in each field of the subject matter. This paper is a written report about the

internship program which was planned to help apparent students grasp practical know-how of

engineering projects, their design, implementation, evaluation and management in general.

Thisreportis about the back ground of our hosting company including its history

and major achievements, our overall internship experience, tasks and the procedures we

followed, the practical and theoretical knowledge we gained including the challenges we faced

while performing those tasks.

The contents of the report have been divided into four chapters and the topics

covered include the company background, our overall internship experience, and the benefits

we gained from the program, our conclusions and recommendations for the company. To help

anyone reading this report better understands the discussed topics and ideas, figurative

illustrations and samples of works and different report formats which are attached at the end of

the topics.


1

1. Background of the hosting company

1.1. Company history As statistical evidence indicates that the population of Ethiopia has more than

doubled in the last 4 decades. This has resulted in the migration of millions people into

major cities, thereby causing shortage of normal services such as the provision of water,

electricity and shelter, among others. The housing situation lacks infrastructures and is

dominated by “Chika” type of construction (traditional type of construction with mud and

wood). The population growth of 2.8% per year and the accelerated migration to urban

centers (6 % and more per year) have dramatically increased the demand for affordable,

decent housing.

Because of these reasons our government has been inciating private sectors to be

involved in the construction industry, especially in low-cost housing projects. So the

government gives opportunities to small construction companies like Yesuf Abera

building contractor to be involved in construction projects.

Yesufe Abera building contractor is a privately owned construction firm with a

reliable track record and a bright prospect that matches its high aspiration. It is a class 4

building contractor. It was established in 2000 EC as a class 6 BC by Yesufe Abera (owner

and general manager), who has the experience of working in other construction companies

as a manager.

Yesufe Abera BC has shown an appreciable growth in such short period. It has a

vision of becoming an international construction company. To assure this vision the firm

has been working with great devotion and responsibility to fulfill the interest of the client

with an acceptable profit to company.


2

Vision

“Become an internationally competent Contractor and also an active and leading

actor in the Ethiopian economic landscape.”

Mission

Play a significant role in the construction sector.

Increase its organizational strength by recruiting professionals, who will

have at their disposal advanced, state of the art machineries.

Take an active part in the nation’s real estate development thus ensuring

maximum customer satisfaction.

Contribute a major role in the hospitality industry of the country.

By making sure these objectives are met, the company’s mission is “to make its

presence felt in the development of the Country’s economy and the preservation of its

social values while remaining target full in the dynamism of the business world.”

1.2. Goals of the company

Every company has a vision, but to attain their vision the firm must have a goal that

will be changed with time and progress. As every company Yesufe Abera BC has a vision

of becoming an international construction company and to participate in the poverty

reduction process. In order to do so the Yesufe Abera BC has the following goals:

To participate in the reduction of housing problems

To increase the work efficiency of the firm

To develop and practice cost reducing construction methods

To use modern construction technologies and machineries

To devise and practice a modern and effective organizational structure

To develop a highly professional management team


3

In order to attain these goals the firm has been working and investing on:

training and motivating its technical staff, from the craftsmen to the senior

engineers, to achieve and maintain high standards

working hand to hand with Addis Ababa low-cost housing project and other

construction companies by studying and applying their experience

increasing its capital and capacity of taking projects at a time

making and developing a good communication skill with client


4

1.3. Organizational structure

Chart: - 1 Organizational structure

General

Forman

General Manager

Yesufe Abera

Project

manager

Administrator

and finance

Office

Engineer

Sales

Department

Site

Engineer

Driver

Secretary


5

1.4. Facilities The machineries and equipment’s the company owns:

Table 1: Machineries and Equipment’s owned by the company

2. Overall internship experience

2.1. How I got the company The university industry linkage program is planned to create a good interaction

between universities and industries, and also create students that have the capability of

facing and solving practical problems. Because of these reasons Bahir Dar University has

given a great deal attention to this program in helping students, starting from searching

Type of Machineries Number

Dump truck 16m3 2

Pick up Double cabin 2

Pick up Single cabin 1

Crasher 705kg-10 ton/hr 1

Mixer 350 lit 2

Hand compactor 1

Water pump 1

Vibrator 2

Winch 1


6

companies that are willing to be part of this program to giving essential documents and

schedules.

The companies that were made available for civil engineering students were very

much limited in number and most of them were outside the major cities. So because of this

reason we were requested to

Search companies by our own that were suitable interns of place of work,

transportation availability, the company’s acceptance and availability of work that were

good. If a student could not bring any company’s acceptance the student would be forced

to work on companies that were made available by the university industry linkage office.

Because of the above-mentioned reasons, I spent the semester break trying to find

construction companies that are willing to be part of the program and make the necessary

arrangements. That’s when Yesufe Abera Building Contractor comes. I found the

company with the help of the peoples I know.

When I first went to the company I found a good service from the general manager

and owner of the firm Ato Yesufe Abera, and also from other employees. I tried to

illustrate and give information about the internship program, so that they should give

special attention to it, because the firm will also gain some advantageous from the program.

As I went to the firm on the first day of the internship, I had to wait for the general

manager and give the necessary documents and papers that will be filled by the firm. So as

to make my stay on the firm according to the university’s program. On the second day I

have been introduced to my supervisor and other employees of the firm. When they heard

where I came from and for what reason I came, they were very much happy to show me

around, give me the necessary information about the work and cooperate with me.


7

2.2. The Sections That I have been working in

On the company there were two working sections, office and site. I was placed on

the conterceter side. I choose to work on the site because it the only place where I can

develop and improve my practical skills.

The contractors’ sides, I have been serving as a: -

1- Site engineer and

2- Forman

As a Site engineer, which is: -

To lead, guide and manage the overall construction activities in the site.

Identify mistakes and take corrective measures

Check the accuracy the construction process and ensuring it to be as per the

design

Giving orders and suggestions to the Forman

Evaluating the designs and consulting the designers if there is any discrepancy

between the architectural drawing and the structural drawings or between the

sanitary drawing and the structural drawing etc.

As a Forman, which is:-

laborers, masons and carpenters during the construction

Assigning the workers on their specific tasks in the site


8

Rectifying any possible faults that can happen during construction

Follow carefully the concrete mixing and insuring the quality of concrete etc .

2.3. The workflow on the site

Chart: - 2 Work flow on the site

2.4. Some of the main construction materials used in the site is the

followings

Cement Reinforcement bars Sand

Selected materials Admixtures Water stopper

Gravel Nail vibe rater

Mixer etc.

Site engineer

Laborers

Site manager

Supervisor of the

consulting company

Forman

Design office


9

2.4.1.Store Keeping In the Site

These store in the site was a hall constructed from Galvanized Iron Sheet (GIS). An

elevated floor of timber structure covered by a plastic mat was constructed to store the

construction materials such as cement, pipes and labor equipment, etc. to protect them from

moisture, from possible flood, and from any direct contact with the soil that can damage

the quality of the construction materials

Fig: -1 a) cement being stored Fig: -1 b) reinforcement storing

2.5. Work task I have been executing The work task I have been executing on both sites was as an assistance site engineer.

In addition to this I was executing other tasks as a machine operator, data collector and

general Forman.

At first, on the Enkulalfaberica site I usually spent the day observing and trying to

do small jobs like preparing takeoff sheet and collecting data. But after a while I was given

a small portion of the site, in order to manage and take the responsibility of the work. This

enables me to gain a good experience.


10

At the post office project I was still working as an assistance site engineer. My job

was to supervise the works and suggest or recommend solutions to design problems.

The work task that I have been executing as an assistance site engineer and on others

working sectors was:

Supervising the works that have been done

Discussing on design problems and giving a solution

Preparing takeoff sheet

Making bar schedules for the bar benders

Checking and supervising the mix ratio of concrete,

Collecting data from the site

Controlling the casting of concrete

Controlling the production and use of spacers

2.5.1.Site work Before I came to this site I haven’t any opportunities to see how a given design is changed

to a real structure. Here I see how the slab together with the beam is casted. The big thing I

recognize here is carpenters play a significance role in erecting the design. They do the

important thing like false work and formwork for the structure, which gives the structure to get

the right shape and desire strength.i.e.by acquiring the correct dimension for the beam the

column and elevation of the slab and the stair case.

2.5.1.1. Supervising the works By supervising I mean checking the work, if it is according to the design. If it is not

according to design, it must be corrected by any means necessary considering the cost, the

time and the quality of the work.

Cost - if it costs too much, another solution will be searched to correct it. If

not, the work will be corrected or done again with the cost of the contractor

or sub-contractor. Sometimes, some works can cause an extra strength to the

structure but will create an extra cost to the company.


11

Time – time should be considered so that the demolishing and building

process won’t waste much time. As time is the main criterion in any

construction companies.

Quality- the dependence of the works should be considered, if it weather

affect the quality of the work that will be done or had been done.

Strength- the work done should be checked if it whether or not affect it the

structural strength.

So the correction process should be done after considering the above terms and

discussing it with the consultant. If the work done doesn’t create any problem on the above

terms, it can be passed with the agreement and approval of the supervisor.

Checked and controlled:

The dimensions of the formworks.

The arrangement of bars before casting of concrete.

The bending of the bars, weather it is according to the bar schedule.

2.5.1.1.1. Ribbed Slabs Ribbed slabs comprise closely spaced concrete joists which are monolithically built

with thin concrete slabs. These are economical for buildings where there are long spans

and light and moderate live loads.

We are talking about in situ concrete slabs, not slabs consisting of pre-cast concrete

ribs with in fill blocks between them, on top of which is cast a concrete topping. Where the

block do contribute to the structural strength they will be referred as structural-type blocks.


12

Fig: - 2 block arrangement of on the floor and ribbed beam

Fig:- 3 mesh bar arrangement on the ribbed slab

2.5.1.1.2. Data collection The work that has been done should be quantified to check if it is going according to the

schedule or to prepare takeoff sheet. In order to do so, a data collector should measure and

record each and every work and pass it to the site engineer.


13

2.5.1.2. Checking and supervising the mix ratios of concert

. Concert

Concrete is a workable plastic mixture of cement, aggregate & water which can be cast in

to any desired shape or convenient size. Concrete when set and cured resemble stone in

weight, hardness, brightness & strength.

The property of concrete varies depending on the quality of the constituent, proportion of

the concrete mix, quality of the workmanship & curing. In concrete each and every

aggregate must be completely surrounded by the paste of cement. The paste binds the

aggregate together and forms a solid mass.

2.5.1.2.1. Materials for Concrete: i. Aggregate

ii. Sand

iii. Cement and

iv. Water

Water,

Water is an important ingredient of concrete as it actively participates in the chemical

reaction with cement. Since it helps to form the strength giving cement paste, the quantity

& quality of water is required to be looked very carefully.

Generally water used drinking is suitable for making good concrete.

Aggregate

Aggregates are the most important constituent on concrete. They give body to the concrete,

reduce shrinkage, and effect economy. The fact that aggregate occupy 65 - 75 percent of

the volume of concrete, their impact on various mixes and properties of concrete is

considerable. Therefore choosing attention should be given to four general requirements.

a) Economy of the mixture


14

b) Potential strength of hardened mass

c) Probable durability of the concrete structure

d) Workability when fresh

Cement

Cementing materials are inorganic substances (mineral fine powders) that are capable of

producing a plastic pasty mass when mixed with water and hardens under the effect of

different physical and chemical processes.

Sand

Sand is the second constituent of concrete. The grain size of sand is less than the aggregate.

2.5.1.2.2. BATCHING Prior to the mixing of ingredients it is essential to measure the materials accurately to

ensure the right proportions. The concrete may be batched either by weight or by volume.

But the site is to do by volume. When concrete is batching by volume there is always

variation between one batch & another. This is due to the fact that the quantities of solid

materials in a container very much depend on its degree of compaction, more over volume

of most sand in a loose solution weight much less than the same volume of dry compacted

sand. Because of this batch, wt batching is prefer than volume batch especially on

important works, however, because it is simple & convenient volume batching is used at

most construction sites.

Fig:-4 box of benching

Benching

material


15

2.5.1.2.3. CONCRETE Mixing The usual types of concretes used in the construction of beams, columns, slabs, foundation,

and other structures are C15-C30 types. On the sites where I worked on only C30 type of

concrete is used. As it is described in EBCS-2 concrete types above C20 needs the use of

mechanical mixers for mixing. C30 has a mix ratio of 1:2:3 with the appropriate amount

of clean water. For every bag of cement we used 2 box of sand and 3 box of gravel.

Machine mixing obviously gives better and uniform mixes than hand mixing and because

of this reason, it is generally recommended. The site also use to mixing is by machine

mixing.

The mixing ratio of concrete is depend on compaction strength of concrete.

For or site to use the compaction strength is C30 that means to use 1:2:3, ratio is used.

The meaning of 1:2:3 is

1 one bag of cement

2 it indicate two box of sand and

3 is three box of aggregate.

Fig:-5 CONCRETE Mixing


16

2.5.1.2.4. Casting of concrete No concrete will be placed until the Engineer gives approval to do the executed work.

We will inform the engineer in sufficient time to enable him to inspect the reinforcement,

formwork and surface on which the concrete is to be placed and also we provide all facilities

for such inspection.

Reinforced concrete of class C30 with 360kg/m3 of cement content will be filled and

vibrated in the formwork around bar reinforcement.

In footings

In foundations columns

In ground

In grade beams

In 150mm thick ground slab

Fig: - 6 a) compacting and casting Fig: - 6 b) slab casting

Concrete column

Once the concrete arrives at the project site, it must be delivered to its final positions

without segregation. While placing the concrete, the compaction is done using a vibrator.

The compaction helps to avoid any segregation. They place the mix of concrete in

appropriate amount to avoid difficulties in compaction.


17

2.5.1.2.5. Curing of concrete The curing time may depend on concrete type, the type of the structural element and

environment of the working station. There are two setting times of concrete namely, initial

setting time and final setting time. The former one is setting time from placing of concrete up

to dismantling of the formwork. It is 24 hrs for columns’, slabs and beams. The final setting

time is the time from dismantling of formwork to the final setting of concrete. It is 7 days for

columns and beams and 21 days for slabs.

2.5.1.3. Controlling the production and use of spacers In the execution of foundations, slabs, beams, columns and other concrete requiring

structures concrete spacers are used to hold reinforcement in position and to assure the

required cover. Cast-in wires are used to fix them to the reinforcement bars. I happened to

experience two kinds of spacer production these are:

Fig: - 7 Concrete spacers with cast in wires

Using timbers that are used as a formwork with a thickness of 2.5cm. It is done using

three timbers, one placing under and the other two on top of it with a space between

them. During filling of the mortar the thickness of the mortar should be equal with

the thickness of the timber (2.5cm). Wires should be placed on the mortar during

the filling process. This helps the wire to be fixed on the spacer. The filled in mortar


18

should be divided into many parts when it is fresh, so as to make it breakable into

the required sizes and numbers.

Fig:-8 Mould for making spacers

2.5.1.4. FORME WORK All forms will be of wood or metal shall be built to prevent distortion due to the

pressure of the concrete and other loads incidental to the construction operation.

All formwork will be of such accuracy, strength and rigidity as to carry the weight and

pressure from the concrete to be placed on or against it, together with all constructional and

other loads. All formwork will be sufficiently tight, without plugging, to prevent loss of

grout during the vibration of the concrete.


19

Faces of the formwork will be clean, free from projecting nails, adhering grout and

other imperfection or defects, which could prevent the specified surface finish from being

attained. It will be treated with approved mould oil before positioning. All forms will be

treated with approved mould or similar oil or be soaked with water immediately before

placing concrete to prevent adherence of concrete.

The dimensions must be checked before proceeding to any work.

Fig: - 9 stair case formwork Fig: - 10 slab formwork

Fig:- 11 column form work


20

2.5.1.5. Reinforcement work The entire necessary reinforcement bar for this project is prepared in the site.

According to the design the maximum bar diameter is 24mm. That is why the “ferayoo”

accomplish the task by using hand tool like bega and simple cutting machine. If there is

a bar have a diameter greater than 24 mm it is difficult to bend it with bega there for they

sa machine capable of doing this. Unfortunately I haven’t got a chance to saw it.

During my stay I see the construction stage for stair case, beam, column and slab.

Starting from slab locally called “soleta” once the false work (in our case we use special

kinds of scaffolding) is constructed to desire elevation the form work (panel) is put

appropriately and the form work of the beam is fixed at the right position simultaneously.

Here the beam formwork locally called the “fondo”(the bottom formwork in which the

RC concrete is laid on ) and the two side support are called “sponda” The panel gets

painted to easily dismantle the panel from the concrete at the end. Then the beam

reinforcement placed suspended on the bar and the stirrups (Staffa) is tied according to

the design then the beam reinforcement is put in the right position by considering the

spacing needed. Here I saw the ferayoo put the stirrup weak side upside down with the

opposite arrangement at a time.

The mesh is done as per the design; here I see the reinforcement which hasn’t any

structural uses, which use to separate the bottom bar with the top bar locally called the

“kebeleto”. Once the bar gets their position installation conduit sanitary pipe is put as

per the drawing. Finally the slab and the beam spacer are put after all, the dust is going

off from the form work by using the compressor and casting process is getting on.

Manually the casting process take 4 - 6 days while by using crane it takes only six hour.

The crane can deliver about .5m3 concrete to any floor at a time. But now it not working.


21

Fig: - 12 a) mesh bar reinforcement Fig: -12 b) column reinforcement

2.5.1.6. Backfill of soil on shear wall under the basement Backfill is a selected and approved material that is used to fill a void/depression/pit/or trench dug. And

backfilling is the process of filling a depression or void with a selected material and compacting it.

A backfill should not have organic material such as pieces of wood and roots embedded within it. If

the soil on the site is capable of being compacted and forming a stable filling, it is useful/better to do the

backfilling with material excavated on the site.

Fig: - 13 backfill of shear wall


22

2.5.2.Office works Most of the time many office works are executed in the office which is found in the

underground of the site. Office works that are done most of the time are;

2.5.2.1. Preparing takeoff sheet The second and main task we were handed was something totally new for us. It is

clear that the reinforcement bar is one of the essential units of a certain structural element

and for these reason it is important to determine the type and amount of steel required

for a certain project.

We were first shown how to prepare a takeoff sheet for bar reinforcement required

to erect a particular component of a building. First one should know to prepare the

takeoff sheet for the reinforcement bars there are two formats in use, the first one results

in the mass of a particular type (i.e. in terms of bar diameter) of bar in kilograms. And

the second format results in the number of berga (i.e. equal to 12 meter in length). I have

tried to show both of these formats below courtesy of sunshine construction company.

In order to fill out the above table properly the following steps should be taken.

It.

N

o

Loc

atio

n

Ty

pe

Sha

pe

(mm) Le

ngt

h

(m

)

No.

of

bar

s

per

me

mb

er

No

.

of

me

m

be

r

To

tal

no

.

of

ba

rs

Total length (m)

Ø

6

8 10 12 14 16 20 24

Total length(m)


23

Table 2.. The first format for takeoff sheet for reinforcement bars

Identify the type bar present

Then calculate the number of bars present based on the spacing and the length

on which these bars are placed

Calculate on how many members these bars are present on a single floor

system

Then calculate the total length by multiplying the total number of bars with

the length of single bar

Now based on predetermined conversion factor we can calculate the total

mass of bar in kilograms.

The second table format is shown below. The only difference between the first format

and this one is this result in the number of berga required to complete a certain structural

unit.

Table 3 the second format for takeoff sheet for reinforcement bars

Weight(kg/m) .2

22

.3

95

.617 .88

8

1.2

09

1.5

79

2.467 3.55

2

Total weight(kg)

It.

N

o.

Type of

Structu

re

Desi

gnati

on

Diamet

er

Sha

pe

Len

gth

Spaci

ng

#of

struct

ure

Qty.

per

structu

re

Tota

l

Qty.

Tota

l

leng

th

Bar

s

per

ber

ga

Remai

ning

bars


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2.5.2.2. Preparation of the amount of concrete and formwork

required Then we come to the takeoff sheet for the amount concrete required and the

formwork necessary to carry out the construction effectively. Before I move on any

further I should just state the definition of some terms that I would be using throughout

my report.

Formwork is a temporary structure that is required to support and form concrete

members

False work is the complete structure erected to support the wet concrete

Scaffolds are steel or timber structures build to give access to different parts of a

building, mainly to external walls

This task was relatively easy to carry out since it’s just calculating the surface area

for the form work and calculating the volume for determining the amount of concrete

needed, Of course the calculation may get tedious when the structure has an irregular

shape and the volume and surface area are not easy to determine.

Table 4. Format for takeoff sheet for concrete and formwork

It.

N

o

L/W/

D

Produ

ct

Descript

ion

It.

N

o

L/W/

D

Produ

ct

Descript

ion


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2.5.2.2.1. To calculate formwork area needed for:

(A) Beam

Summing up the length of each beam

Reading its depth & width

Multiplying the length with the width & twice the depth

for the sides

Adding the above products

(B) Column

Reading the clear height

Multiplying the height with surface area of the column

(C) Slab

Reading the length and width excluding the beams

Multiplying the two dimensions for each panel

The above procedures were followed to quantify formwork panel needed to complete the job and

in order to crosscheck and do the work part by part detail description of the axis are given as a

reference on the take of sheet.


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2.5.2.3. Bill of quantity

It is called bill of quantity. It includes the type of quality, the amount of the quantity,

the rate and the cost. The rate is the price for a unit amount of quantity which was handed

to me by the company. The rate is the result of the breakdown, since I didn’t do the

breakdown I was given a list of rate for each quantities I have calculated prior.

The bill of quantity is preferably divided in two main parts, substructure and

superstructure. The substructure part includes three main parts the first one is Excavation

and earth work this involves from clearance of top soil to the 250mm thick hardcore

blinded with crushed stone. All quantity is measured in m3 except when the thickness is

known and then it is measured in m2. The next one is concrete work and the last one is

masonry work. I only did the concrete part since I have calculated the amount of volume

required previously.

The superstructure portion involves different type and amount of work; these are

concrete work, block work, woodworking and joinery, metal work, plastering and

painting, finishing, glazing, sanitary and electrical installation. I must admit I only did it

for few of them like the concrete and block work. This is because I only had data for

those which I previously calculated the quantity for. I tried to understand how the rest

was done from the sample work I was given from the company.

2.5.2.4. Determining the Manpower Output My assignment included going out on the site at the start of the day and record the name

of the employee, the equipment used during the day and the number of assistants involved

if there are any. And then I will go out at the end of the day and record the daily work. This

task is important for it can help you determine how quick the project can be done. And if

one has to lay off some works it will help you determine which employee to keep.


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This task was not that hard but it gave me a great opportunity to improve my

communication skills with the employees working on the site, not to mention that I was

able to familiarize myself with the equipment local terminologies and their application.

The first manpower output I did was for the block work. Block work has two aspects:

lay out and filling up the wall in accordance with the layout. The layout was done by a

more skilled person than the later since the rest of the block work is done on top of the

layout. From by observation one mason and two helpers can cover up to 3 unit houses

in a single day. It can be more or less depending on which floor it is or on how well

acquainted the mason is with the plan. For filling the wall according to the layout can

then be done. One mason and two helpers can cover up to 30m2 in a single day.

The second manpower out I did was for the second cote plastering. Second cote

plastering requires more care than first so it will not be done short amount of time. One

person plastering and one assistant can cover 32m2 of wall surface.

The last work I had observed was the chiseling part. I have to say it is by far one of

the hardest jobs I have encountered on the site. Not only is it tiring but also dangers to

the worker’s eye because they did not use any safety material. I suggest safety gasses

should be provided in this type of work. A single worker can cover about 60m2 of area

to be chiseled.

2.6. Challenges As an assistance site engineer I was faced with many challenges. These are:

Language problem as it was my first work; this is because the kind languages they

use were different from the construction languages that we use in the class.

From the early beginning, the communication with the site workers was so tough

initially, because, they use different site words which I never heard about. As a

result, I started jotting most of these words down and used them in executing my

tasks.


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Some of the workers were over-confident believing that they know well everything

and used not to follow my instructions such as when I told them not to leave the

vibrator for a long period in the concrete. This caused failure of the grade beam

formwork. As a result, I contacted the Forman and the problem was fixed.

Disagreement between the contractor and consultant about architectural drawing

Lack of office equipment like computers on the site. This has created a problem on

improving my computer skills.

3. OVERALL INTERNSHIP BENEFITS

For something that takes inputs there is something in return, a benefit. In my internship

too, there were some benefits those are gained accordingly. The benefits are:

Practical skills

Theoretical knowledge

Interpersonal communication skills

Team playing skills

Leadership skills

Work ethics related issues

Entrepreneurship skills

These aspects are discussed below.

3.1. Improvement of practical skills

My four month stay in the sites equipped me with a lot of practical capability that enables

me to perform any task that is given to me. The followings are some of what I learned

Concrete mixing procedure

Different concrete mix ratios

Improved my ability of understanding and reading working drawings


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Concrete casting and curing

Formwork and Reinforcement placement

Preparing takeoff sheet

3.2. Upgrading Theoretical Knowledge Since the practice depends first on theory, it was easy to correspond with each other.

It is not very challenging to change the theory into practice. Theoretical knowledge is

dependable on principles, logic and calculations. It is interesting when the theoretical

knowledge & the practice meet exactly as you wanted to. Sometimes this relationship fails

to some degree. Theoretical knowledge doesn’t show you the tasks, which are processed

in the site. Generally speaking, my theoretical knowledge got strengthens more by those

practical techniques invested on site. This is because I had to refer every time when I came

across a problem.

In addition the practical knowledge upgrades my theoretical knowledge by

Understanding every single work with satisfactory scientific reasoning

Referring different books and web sites whenever I encounter difficulty

Asking the site engineer and the supervisor when I come across a problem

Observing different construction works

Learning different kinds of construction machineries

Learning the methodologies used during construction

Reading and interpreting of working drawings

Calculating reinforcements for the bar cutters and benders

3.3. Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal communication is a way of communication that a person have with

other people who might have contact with. Meeting with the staffs was a little tough. Then

after time has passed I let myself to them by reasonably talking on issues those are related


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to the site or not. Then step-by-step when I got into the work, there comes the opportunity

to communicate on work related talks.

Every day I was connecting with specific working class. This improves

understanding the thinking of the peoples around me. And finally I was the one who

communicate with everyone in the site even with the daily laborers. This was one of the

main things that helped me to improve my practical skills.


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On the other hand, during my internship program I used to have a lot of contacts with

students from different universities, engineers and also other responsible peoples. Thus I

used to ask them different questions in order to understanding their point of view too. Thus,

the communication skill is very important, because it helps us in

Guiding and managing the workers in their respective field of expertise

Generating fruitful ideas

Respecting other attitude

Speaking ability

Developing persuasive and decision making capability.

3.4. Team Playing Skills

It is a skill of a person to work with other people co-operatively. This skill was

developed easily and rapidly. It begins when I was in campus. Some assignments given

were done in groups. This helps me to handle different characters of the persons I worked

with.

The reason behind this is my work tasks did not allow communicating with colleagues

only, but also co-operated me with the persons I worked with. Even each work task was

done and completed as a team. The work that I have been engaged was more of as

assistance Site Engineer, I have to communicate and work with both the Site Eng. and the

project manager and more over I communicate with all the site organizational structure

directly or indirectly.

Thus, in the site I improve my team playing skills by

Communicating constructively

listening actively

sharing ideas openly & willingly

Trusting others in a respective and supportive manner.


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Accuracy during task performance.

3.5. Leadership Skill

It is very important to control and monitor the peoples in the project site. During my

internship program I saw how the project manager monitors the peoples specially, the

Forman, the store keeper and as well as other team leaders. It is the portion of the work that

acquires managing skill in different aspects such as managing work flow, assigning the

Forman and the team leaders to their respective tasks, properly allocating and insuring the

proper management of it, and also controlling everything in the site.

3.6. Work Ethics

The principles of ethics are values which are expected to be possessed by all people in their

life, and contribute good interaction between individuals. It also referred to the standard or

a set of moral principles for regulating behavior of a certain defined professions. In order

to consider that and activity to be a profession, it should be carried out by one who has

advanced education, knowledge and skills. Thus for developing healthy working

environment and increase productivity.

Some of ethics I gained during the interns are:-

Punctuality: - means keeping the companies work beginning time to compete the given

task on the given period.

Honesty: - being trust worthy and restrain from cheating, corruption and bias.

Cooperation: - being interactive and cooperate with the others.

Office discipline: - in work place you don’t have to disturb the working condition.


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Reliability: - the workers should be quantified for the pate he is supposed to be performed

Cooperation: - each worker should interact with each other while working. This is because

it is through such system the problem of impartiality, transparency and openness, integrity,

avoiding apparent conflict of interest accountability could be easily solved.

3.7. Entrepreneurship Skills Seeing Ato Yesufe Abera the owner of the company who made me realize the

success he had made in such few years with a small experience he had before. This made

me realize the reasons behind his success. These were technical experiences he had on the

field, determination, taking risks, studying the business and good management skill. So

because of this I tried to develop my skill on such terms during the internship period.


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4. Conclusion and Recommendation

4.1. Conclusion It is obvious that the aim of the internship is to make the students acquainted with the site

situations and so that the students possess practical skills. This will help the students to

carry out their job easily after their graduation as experts. It was really a golden opportunity

on the sites where I have developed my practical knowledge and experiences by comparing

and contrasting it with my previous theoretical knowledge. So, I found the internship

program to be highly essential to upgrade my theoretical knowledge and gain practical

skill.

There might be different ways of learning. However, I wasn’t acting as an observer on the

site; rather I was personally involved in the construction activities and put my finger point

on it.

In line with this, it was my opportunity to be assigned under different contractor companies

who were involved in different construction activities, because, I used to work with them

at the same time used to work with the supervisors from the client side. Thus I was endowed

because I was working on both the client side and also on the contractor side, thus gaining

my experience from both sides’ point of view.

In fact, it is difficult for me to mention all the benefits I gained during my stay on the site.

However, it is my pleasure to say that it has equipped me with the practical knowledge of

understanding and implementing field exercises in my field of study, civil engineering. It

helped me develop self-confidence and introduced us to the world of construction. It made

me know how site problems are tackled with the least loss. It made me know the procedural

steps in the construction activity. It also acquainted me with the knowledge required to

monitor construction sites. It gave a great opportunity to be creative and inventive.

On the other hand, it was really a period where I have reconstructed myself and learned

different work ethics and disciplines and generated a leadership skill and team work

principles.


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Lastly, internship plays a crucial role in our study. As a result, it should be maintained and

a greater emphasis should

4.2. Recommendation By studying the company organization structure and work flow I would like to

recommend the company the following terms:

Hire highly professional skilled man powers, this enables the firm to attend

projects with a lot of speed and accuracy.

Use modern machineries and equipment, this will enable the projects to be

finished with a lot of speed and will save a lot money that will be taken out

for hiring labors. And also has the advantage of using the machineries for a

longer period of time.

Use steel form works as much as possible, since steel form work has good

strength and quality of work it can be used for many projects without any

problem. But when we come to timber, it can only be used for one project.

Arrange the necessary materials and office for interns, this will help the

interns to incited and work with responsibility.

Provide the necessary row materials, these will the firm to avoid

unnecessary termination of projects due to shortage of raw materials.

Avoid miss communication between the employees, this can be done by

arranging company meetings at least ones a month.


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5. REFERENCE Ethiopian building codes of standards (EBCS-1995).

Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia.

Foundation analysis and design, Joseph E. Bowles.

Reinforced concrete-I hand out.

Yesufe Abera construction company profile

hassen nigusie

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