Marta
Marta
Marta
ENGINEERING COLLEGE
DEPATMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
MANAGEMENT
INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT
HOSTING COMPANY: TNT CONSTRUCTION PLC
DURATION OF THE INTERNSHIP: 4 MONTH
ASSOSA UNIVERSITY,
ETHIOPIA
DECLARATION
I am Marta Ayele student of Construction Technology Management engineering at Assosa
University, hereby declare that I had been working for TNT Construction PLC at West Guji
court building project at Administration office construction site for about four months with site
Engineer Wendosen, employee of wide TNT Engineering company and my Advisor as Lecture
Engineer Firanol and submitted this final internship report based on the experiences I had
acquired during my time as an intern in the company mentioned above.
Student Name Advisor Name
Marta Ayele Eng. Firanol
Signature_________________ Signature: _________________
Date_________________ Date: _________________
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Acknowledgement
First of all, I would like to thank the almighty God for his great assistance till today. And then I
would like to provide my gratitude to Assosa university faculty of Engineering technology and
CoTM engineering department for giving me this vital internship program by considering its
importance. Next I would like to express my heart felt expression to my Advisor Lecture Eng.
Fanol and TNT construction project site engineer Wendosen.
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Contents
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ - 1 -
Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... - 2 -
Executive summary..................................................................................................................... - 6 -
CHAPER ONE............................................................................................................................ - 7 -
1.2. Visions.............................................................................................................................. - 7 -
2.5 Procedures We Have Been Used When We Perform Work Tasks ................................. - 24 -
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2.5.2. Setting out ................................................................................................................ - 25 -
4.1 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... - 35 -
5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. - 37 -
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 mixer truck.................................................................................................................. - 11 -
Figure 2 vibrator ....................................................................................................................... - 11 -
Figure 3 Controlling casting concrete ....................................................................................... - 23 -
Figure 4 steel ............................................................................................................................. - 24 -
Figure 5 Site clearance .............................................................................................................. - 24 -
Figure 6 setting out .................................................................................................................. - 25 -
Figure 7 Pit excavation ............................................................................................................ - 26 -
Figure 8 Footing pad and column ............................................................................................. - 27 -
Figure 9 Masonry wall .............................................................................................................. - 28 -
Figure 10 back fill ..................................................................................................................... - 29 -
Figure 11 grade beam................................................................................................................ - 30 -
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Executive summary
An internship program is a work related learning experience for individuals who wish to develop
a certain skill set on some specified occupational field. In order to take both the theory and
practice into account, and to help students develop the spirits of self-support, hard work, and
endurance, Assosa University enrolls a teaching model which integrates internship and regular
classes. I recently took this internship program in TNT construction PLC administration Office
project. Through this internship and practical work, I was able to learn the techniques relevant to
my professions as well as the practical management skills from the physical work. In this report I
have given a very brief review of the history of TNT construction PLC Company, its goals and
objectives. I have also presented the flow chart of the organization with detail of each
department. Finally, I have tried my best to explain all my observations and experiences I got
during my internship period concerning slabs, wall, and concrete work. After going through this
entire topic I have also included conclusions and recommendations for improvement of works in
the company. I hoped that this report would serve as a fundamental vehicle to the improvement
of internship Program
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CHAPER ONE
1. COMPANY BACKGROUND
1.1 Brief history
TNT construction PLC is grade two general contractors established at 2007 GC. Presently TNT
is one of the leading construction companies in the country relating to its expanding rate and
performance reputation for its quality and timely delivering Performance. TNT currently
involves at different building constructions, like government saving houses, new and expansion
works in universities across the country, complex, multipurpose stories in the capital and other
big cities and towns, different Roads constructions, and so on. The company used to award
encouraging reactions from its clients and has established viable work relating with the
administration. The Company is also recognized by good handling of its employee which results
a minimum turnover rate of the employee. It has tried to boost its share on the market by actively
participating on reliable activity on the sector. TNT construction PLC be determined to maintain
its reputation by appoint and capacitating its staffs through continuous short trainings and also
paying a striking salary and other benefits these compose the TNT as a stable and peaceful work
place against the recognized traditions of the company.
1.2. Visions
To be one of the ethical and professional construction companies there in world the capable of
carry out contemporary construction is greater amount of dimensional coordination that is civil
engineering works design and component manufactured in multiple of slandered modules, which
drastically reduce the amount of cutting and fitting required on construction site. The other is the
production or development of such large structural complexes as shopping centers entries sites
and whole towns or section of many areas.
1.3 Missions statement
The leaders and followers of this business entity as a team shall: Ever survive as a business
entity that is committed to the creation of excellent values that always strives to balances the
utility needs of customers, employees, managers and shared holders. Form and sustain a
combination of individuals’ excellence and communal values that will ensure the vitality strength
and propagation of their business entity:
Uphold the maximum options and progressives
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1.4. Objectives
Providing sustainable service for their client
Increasing organization and professional capacity
Make reasonable perforate to increase their productivity and profit.
1.5 Organizational values
Respect and royal for client
Quality
Integrate
Social response
Construction industry which in turn makes TNT is the preferred company by wonderful
employees among others in the industry. TNT has a future progressive development target that
fit with respective country and global condition.
1.6 Main products or service of the company
TNT constructions PLC have been constructing different structures for the last twelve years. The
company constructed Building warehouse for storing purpose, dormitory for education purpose,
residential and multipurpose buildings etc. Some of the executed and ongoing projects by the
company throughout the country are listed below.
In Addis Ababa town
It has constructed RE Real State construction of apartment (2B + G + 7) in 2015.Also RE Real
State construction of apartment (G +6) in 2015 G.C
By client of Bole Housing Construction Project Branch 01 it has constructed G+7 apartments.
In Oromia regional state:
It has constructed In Ambo University Teachers residential building, Administration Office,
masonry fence and Biogas or treatment plant and also student Dormitory.
In south nation nationality people regional state (SNNP)
By client of SNNP Prison administration it has constructed Prison in Dilla town. Currently, the
company is undertaking different kinds of Project throughout the country. Now a day the
company is also competing with different company in order to taken up different construction
project.
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1.7 End users of its products
TNT Construction PLC has constructed different kinds of construction projects throughout the
country.
These are like Universities, colleges, Schools, Roads, etc. After completion of these projects,
they will give a variety of services for different bodies. The service to be provided from
completion of these projects is for people, i.e. directly or indirectly the main customers or end
users of the products are all people of the country. Based on the direct service the end users can
be generalized as:
Governmental Institutions
Universities
Colleges
Ethiopian road association Individuals
Residential building
Investment like to construct industry, factory Etc.
This construction plc has very important role in order to students learn without crudeness. In
addition, increase construction of dormitory, will increase number of students so the construction
of educational buildings will give importance services for the teaching learning process.
Also in health center construction, the number of patience’s will be treated by getting service
from it. This plays a great role to people by increasing health center facilities in their vicinity
instead suffering from a long distance walk to get medication access.
Construction of roads is very important for the country to facilitate overall economic
development. The main end users of the roads are:
Drivers
Passengers
Pedestrian
Cyclist
Now a day’s residential buildings are one of the problems of the country, particularly in Addis
Ababa. In this regards, the company involvement in real estate construction has importance in
alleviating the problem. Ultimately, the inhabitants can benefit from accessing residential houses.
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1.8 Organizations of the company and work flow
Organizations of the company fulfill class I contractor rules. According to its organization, it
enjoys a remarkable reputation in the construction industry. Having started with regular staff
members, it has now been able to create job opportunity for many permanent skilled persons and
daily laborers. The general manager has chief power among different employment. He controls
all activities in the company and makes decision in consultant with management and technical
advisors. The deputy general manager works under the general manager. Together with the
secretary and Legal advisors, the deputy general manager supervises the work of the following
departments:
1. Engineering department
2. Finance department
3. Transport and Mechanical department
4. Procurement department
5. Administration department
In each department, there are also organizational subdivisions which have their own
responsibility. The overall organizational set up of the organization is shown below.
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1.9 Equipment’s use in construction site works
1. Mixer
The operator control operations of the mixer, workability of concrete checked by controlling
volume of water. We observe also this concrete test when concrete mix out from the mixer.in
addition to this there is mixer truck used to mix and transport mixed concrete to construction site.
Figure 2 vibrator
3. Dumper
Dumper is used to transport building materials like cement, concrete, sand and others at the
construction site.
4. Loader
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It is multi-functional machine which is used to avoid unwanted materials, to execute and
transport materials in the site.
5. Roller
It is a type of machine used to compact selected fill to the required density.
6. Plate compactor
It is like roller but very small and used to compact small areas like ground and basement floor
selected fill, foundation pad selected fill, etc.
CHAPTER TWO
2. OVERALL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
2.1 How I joined the company
The university-industry linkage required this internship program. The Department of
Construction technology management Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, of
Assosa University was prepared the internship placement request application for internship
students to apply for the company. I apply application letters for TNT construction plc
companies and I got acceptance from them, finally I start practical internship works on October
18, 2019 G.C.
2.2 Project description
TNT construction PLC is currently working on in Bule Hora West Guji Zone Court building..
The project is consisting of basement G +4 building and the building is designed for court house
and also has different blocks for office. According to the contract document, west guji zone
(client) provides reinforcement bars and cements to the contractor (TNT Construction PLC) to
construct and finish the building on the time.
2.3 Work flow in the section
The work flow in the site is visually inspected by the supervisors. They get a general overview of
the state of materials and standards which are specified in the supervisor's guideline. If for the
instance in case of casting a slab one could visually inspect the cleanness of the panel, size, and
arrangement of bar and look for all sorts of things that would seem to affect the bond between
the reinforcement bar and concrete. The dimension of a structural part, number, size and length
of bars are clearly presented in details of structural drawings.
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Before casting a beam, column or slab the supervisors will check the correct Interpretation of the
drawings. Other than this the formwork spacing is measured in cases of beams, the verticality of
a column formwork and level of the bottom panel of a slab is checked in order to verify the
depth. Work is very important for the project management of any site project.
A good project management will maximize efficient resource utilization, development of
effective communication and mechanization for resolving conflicts among participants and
proper coordination and control the entire process.
The organization set up of TNT company is shown in the background of the company, but when
it comes to the work flow at site i.e. project management and administration it can be narrowed
down to the following chart;
As presented from the figure engineering department is grouped in to office and construction. As
being part both departments it’s better to discuss each of their work flow separately.
Project manager
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The project manager, in the broadest sense of the term, is the most important person for the
failure and success of the project. The project manager is responsible for planning, organizing
and controlling the project. In turn, the project manager receives authority from the management
of the organizational to mobilize the necessary resources to complete the project. The project
manager must be able to exert interpersonal influence in order to lead the project team. He must
possess leadership quality and the ability to handle intricate interpersonal relationships effective
within an organization.
Office engineer
The main responsibility of the office engineers is: -
1. Prepare material lists for the project and ensuring deployment
2. Preparing payment certificates for sub contract works based on actual quantity executed.
Keeps
3. Records of payments certificates related to the sub contract works.
4. documentation
a. keeping contract documents and drawing
b. keeping proper documents of corresponding variables order
5. Under taking other responsibilities assigned by the project manager.
Working under the office engineer, the quantity surveyor has similar duties. But the quantity
surveyors work is approved by the office engineer. The data collectors assemble different reports
and compile them into weekly and monthly reports.
Construction engineer
A construction engineers that works together with the site engineers to supervise the construction
work. the construction engineers give solutions to practical problems that might occur during the
process of the work.
Site engineer
The site engineer has the foreman under him and he deals with details of the work. In addition he
advises the Forman on the course of action. The site engineer also makes sure that the work is
done according to the design. During the course of construction, Forman and site engineer will
make decisions about work to be undertaken at particular times of the day based up on the
availability of the necessary resource of laborers, materials and equipment’s. Without
coordination among these necessary inputs, the construction process will be inefficient. Forman
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The main work of the Forman is to manages and supervise manual works. In this particular site
there are different Forman’s having their own skills. Each Forman has responsibility to do any
work according to the site engineer order. Their work always checked by the site engineer.
2.4 Work activities/Tasks I have been executing
To simplify work and to allocate responsibilities the works are grouped into two. These are
site/field/and office work/task/. This division of work is used to facilitate and to share
responsibilities. In this report I would like to write the experience I gained both from the site and
office activities.
Here I have presented them subsequently for different kind of field and site work as I have seen
during the internship time.
2.4.1 Office tasks
As I have mentioned before I was assigned mainly on the field to learn and practice how to
supervise, coordinate, practice and learn the work done on the construction site thus I have few
experience on office work yet I had learned plenty by going through documents of the project
stored in the office. Fortunately, with the help of my site mentor I got access to the bidding
documents, detail drawing and construction schedules.
2.4.1.1 Bidding document
Is the document that states the price that the bidder will contract for to perform the work based
on the work shown and described in the bidding documents. After client approval of the bidding
documents and selection of a construction bidding method, the contract administration team may
assist in the selection of contractors to bid the work; preparation of bid forms; issuance of
bidding documents for competitive bidding; answering inquiries from bidders; and preparing and
issuing any necessary agenda to the bidding documents.
Contents of a bidding document
Bidding procedures;
Instruction to bidders.
Bid data sheet
Evaluation and qualification criteria
Bidding forms.
Scope of works
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Technical specifications.
Drawings
Bill of quantities/activity schedules.
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The construction schedule is an extremely meaningful tool in monitoring the construction
process. It can assist the engineer’s ongoing role in quality control during the construction phase,
when the management of the building process is transferred to, and becomes the responsibility of
the contractor. The schedule also is a meaningful tool for use by all trades involved in the
building process.
2.4.1.4 Quantity surveying
Quantity surveying is a term or process used in the construction industry to take measurements
of civil works, prepare specifications and estimates the cost of works either for each trade of
work or for the whole project.
Column 1 is used for stating the number of times an item occurs and is called the timising
column.
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Column 2 is called dimension column as it is used to enter the dimensions of the items of works.
The dimensions entered in column2 are squared or cubed as the case may be multiplied by the
timising factor, and the result entered in column3. This task is called squaring and the column is
called squaring column.
Column 4 is used to describe the task to be done and is called description column
The squared dimensions are transferred to abstract sheets and all similar work and dimensions
are collected in the same category to obtain the total quantity of each item. After the abstract
sheets have been completed and checked, the final bill of quantity is written.
2.4.1.6 Preparing bar schedule
Bar schedule is a format used to calculate the quantity of reinforcement bars. In this format the
quantity of bar of each diameter will be calculated.
2.4.1.7 Reading working drawings
In the office I also tried to read detail drawings of the building being constructed. It has a
paramount important in improving the skill of understanding the 3D of the structure and helped
me to know what is to be constructed. This drawing includes architectural, structural, sanitary
and electrical drawings. Every construction activity is undertaken by referring to those drawings
and the engineer executes and controls the whole work based on them.
I. Architectural drawing: It shows the architectural aspects of the building. This includes:
Site plan
elevation views
Floor plans
Sections plans
Window and door layouts
Floor finishes
II. Structural drawing: It shows the structural aspects of the building. This includes
Details of beams,
Details of Slabs
Details of Stairs,
Details of columns
Foundation layouts.
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It has also detail information about: grade of concrete, grade of steel and material qualities of
structural components.
III. Sanitary drawing: it includes:
Installation plan
Riser diagram
position of main holes
IV. Electrical drawing: it includes
Electrical installation /for site + floor/
Main distribution board/MDB/ potion and detail
Sub distribution board/SDB/position and detail
Power supply and distribution layout
2.4.2. Field task
I was dedicated almost fully to the field work and most of my time as an intern was spent there.
And the section in which I practiced was limited since the site on which I was practicing were
passed the super structural construction work. The field work comprises the major task in
building construction. It includes all activities that tend towards constructing building
components. Before start of a building work, one should properly plan its layout and decide on
the specification for each major item of work so that the cost of construction can be kept within
the estimated value. The first work to be taken before the actual construction of the building start
is checking the dimensions of its boundaries as soon as the site is made available for
construction. Generally, site work ranges from setting out to finishing work.
Site works
Supervising the work that have been done
Supervising electrical installations
Concrete work
Checking the mix ratio
Controlling casting concrete
Supervising steel reinforcement of the super structure
Providing supports for workers based on the design
I. Supervising the work that have been done
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Supervising the work means checking the work if it is according to the design or not. If it is
not according to design, it must be corrected as soon as possible, considering the cost, time and
quality of the work.
Main tasks that must be checked and controlled are listed below:
Arrangement of bars before casting
The bending of bars, weather it is according to the bar schedule
Bar spacers and concrete cover
Mix ratio, casting and compacting of concrete
II. Electric installation
Electrical installation starts parallel with slab work by installing conduits. We observed when
they install the conduits according to the design, before slab and beam is filled with concrete.
Additionally, the conduits are covered before concrete is filled to prevent clogging of cables.
Electrical installation is done for different kinds of utilities such as light bulbs, bells, switches,
air conditioners, fire and smoking alarms etc.
III. Concrete work
Concrete structures are created from a mixture cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and
water. Also admixture added to minimize curing time.
Cement + Water + Coarse Aggregate+ Fine Aggregate = Concrete.
Cement
Cement is usually in fine powder form acts as a binding agent when mix with water and
aggregate. Cement shall be stored in bags or containers in an enclosed and ventilated Space that
would protect it from Deterioration. The cements must be stored under dry place in order to keep
the quality of the cement. It shall be visually checked and tested before being used.
Aggregate
Aggregate consists of large chunks of material in a concrete mix, coarse gravel or crushed
stone such as lime stone or granite, along with finer materials such as sand. It should be clean,
hard, strong and durable. Have to be free from excessive dust and harmful materials like iron,
mica and etc.
Water
The water must be cleaned and free from impurities which are not likely to affect the quality or
strength of the resultant concrete.
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Procedures of concrete mixing
Water is poured to the mix drum to wash away all unnecessary materials in it. Cement, fine
aggregate and coarse aggregate added according to specific grade of concrete. Sufficient water
added that will result in a workable mix, which can be poured efficiently into position around
reinforcement and will produce a dense concrete of specific strength. The mixing process is
stopped when the cement is thoroughly distributed throughout the mass, approximately 2
minutes after the whole of water has been added. The concrete will not be discharged from the
mixer unless it is properly mixed, having a uniform color and consistency.
After finishing the work, the mixers and all handling materials have to be washed out with clean
water, since it will be difficult to remove the concrete left on the drum after it hardens. After
checking the reinforcements as satisfactory by the engineer and consultants, the next step will be
casting of the concrete depending on the arranged time schedule.
Placing the concrete, compacting and curing
The most important part of the whole sequences of concreting operations from batching to curing
step is probably correct placing and compaction of concrete. Because they are done almost
simultaneously and they are inter-dependent, placing and compacting should really be considered
together as one operation.
Placing: During construction of structural element the concrete mix is placed most of the time in
a mold or formwork prepared and then vibrated with a special. They use chute to place the mixed
concrete. As some of the excavated pits were deep it was sometimes so difficult for placing so
they were sometimes dropping this concrete from height more than 2m. This in turn will lead to
segregation of concrete. so, this placing activities needs care. Placing must be in appropriate
manner.
Compaction: They use vibrator for compaction which helps to avoid any segregation of
concrete. We were able to observe that they were vibrating the concrete after each 2 batch mix of
the concrete for footing while vibrating after each 20 cm lapse in foundation column.
Curing: After casting structural element cure is necessary. We have witnessed that after concrete
has been cast laborers were constantly curing it so that it could attain its full strength within few
days, they were watering the concrete cast structures and covering their surfaces with thread
sheets so that it won’t loose its moisture content. The curing time depend on concrete type, the
type of structural element and the environment of working condition.
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IV. Checking the mix ratio
In our country concrete is one of the most popular construction materials in the construction
industry. So a great deal of attention is given to its quality, strength and standard. Its property is
highly dependent on the type of ingredients used, the quality of the ingredients used and the mix
design of the concrete. Aggregates require special attention, since it takes 60-90% of the total
volume of concrete mix.
The selection of aggregate type and particle size distribution mainly affect the workability of
concrete as well as strength, permeability and durability of the concrete, therefore the aggregate
type is an essential part on mixing concrete.
We have checked and supervised the mix ratio of the concrete How before casting with the
support of our supervisor? Usually types of concretes used in the construction of beams,
columns, slabs, foundation, and other structures are C-15-C-30 types. On our site the type of
concrete that has been used is___________. As it is described in EBCS-2 concrete types above
C-20 needs the use of mechanical mixers for mixing. C-25 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 aggregate.
V. Controlling casting concrete
The casting of concrete requires a careful inspection on the mix ratio and compacting. Its
compaction is done using a vibrator. We have been controlling the casting of concrete on beams,
columns, slabs and other structural elements on the site. To compact concrete, you apply energy
to it so that the mix becomes more fluid. Then air trapped in it can rise to the top and escape. As
a result, the concrete becomes consolidated, and you are left with a good dense material that will
develop its full strength and durability after proper curing. Vibration is the next and quickest
method of supplying the energy. Manual techniques such as rodding are only suitable for smaller
projects.
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Figure 3 Controlling casting concrete
VI. Steel reinforcement for super structure
Reinforced bars are stored on properly prepared stone masonry bedding with plastic sheet laid
below the re bar. The construction of this stone masonry avoids rusting. If the rebar has direct
contact with the ground it will rust and corrode and rusting of bars decrease their diameter and
strength, rusted bars on reinforced concrete structures creates void and the structure will shrink
this may result crack or failure.
Reinforcement bar is mainly used to resist the tensile force in the reinforced concrete work, but
it also uses to support the torsion and compression load. The diameter, length and shape of the
reinforcement bars are according to the drawings and specification. No concrete shall be cast
until reinforcement has been checked and approved by the site engineer or foreman.
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Figure 4 steel
2.5 Procedures We Have Been Used When We Perform Work Tasks
This internship program gives us the opportunity to observe work procedure of each task in the
site and in the office. In this section of our report we will try to describe some of the procedures
we have perform while performing our work tasks.
2.5.1. Site clearance
Site clearance means the removal of anything which is found on the construction site such as
grass, bushes, trees and vegetation. Is the first activity in conducting take off.
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2.5.2. Setting out
Setting out is to stake our reference points and marks that will guide the construction of new
structures such as roads or buildings.
Setting out a building is an initial step to building a house; started by pegging the four corners of
the house. This is after determining the location of the building. Next to setting four pegs at each
building corners, wooden profiles were firmly placed in to the ground 2m away from each
building edges.
Profile consists of pegs, stakes or pickets driven in to the ground with cross piece of timber
attached to them. Then using these profile board the carpenters set center of each footing pad
using nail with the aid of site engineer as well as Forman who gave information from the given
plan.
Requirements for setting out:-
The dimensions of each building side should be checked
Diagonal dimensions should be checked
900attainments of each building corners should be checked using tri
square or 3, 4, 5 method of setting out.
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2.5.3. Pit excavation
Pit excavation is the excavation for footing pad considering working area in addition to footing
Dimension.
The pit is excavated with the given design depth; but sometimes it might be changed according
to the given soil type.
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2.5.6. Footing pad and column
A foundation should be designed to transmit the loads of the building to the ground so that there
is, at most, only a limited settlement of the building in to the ground and uniform settlement
under the whole of the building.
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2.5.7. Masonry work
The masonry used under grade beam or for foundation wall is stone and serves as a retaining
structure for the fill soil and prevent ground water from entering to the structure by increasing
the elevation of first floor level.
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2.5.7 Back fill and compaction
It is the process of replacement the soil excavated before (selected fill) to pit as well as trench
excavation after concrete work for foundation column and masonry work. It was performed
using compacting machine .In this process showering should be performed on the layer
compacted before fore attachment purpose.
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2.5.8. Grade beam
It is abeam placed after masonry work and has numerous advantage .The following are two main
advantages:
Prevent buckling by reducing the height of column
Retain fill materials like hard core or used for lateral stability
It placed on the stone masonry with designed number, diameter of reinforcement and its
appropriate dimension. Then the formwork placed at two faces of its depth and concrete was
casted.
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CHAPTER THREE
3. OVERALL BENEFITS OF THE INTERNSHIP
The main aim of this internship program is to teach and improve student’s communication with
different stakeholders in the construction industry, to improve their practical skill in addition to
their theoretical knowledge, enhance student’s theoretical knowledge acquired in classrooms and
to improve their leadership and team playing skill among others.
As such, Internship is a class held on site to gain better understanding of the outside working
environment prior to graduations. Construction Technology Management Engineering students
also take such Internship programs. As a CoTM Engineering student, I have participated in a
four-month Internship at the Bule Hora West Guji Zone Court Building project with TNT
Construction. With this internship, I have acquired much knowledge, skills pertaining to the
different tasks I have been engaged in and here below are the major experiences I amassed which
are of great importance for my future career after graduation.
3.1 Practical Skill
As one of the main objectives of this internship is to enrich the practical knowledge of students
like me, these past four months have been productive with regard to practical knowledge
acquired in general. Even if classroom theoretical knowledge is much different and complicated
as compared to practical onsite experience, class room knowledge also helped me as basic
information to better understand onsite works and communicate peoples working on such
projects.
Here below is some of the major practical knowledge I acquired in the internship class:
False work and Form Work: I have witnessed construction of formwork and false work for
some reinforced concrete structure. In any construction work, designing and construction of form
work precedes casting of concrete. The formwork and false work should be constructed in such a
way that it stiff enough to resist the fresh concrete until the concrete gains its strength. Hence, as
the form work construction happens to be new experience on site, the knowledge I gained on
how it is worked and erected is vital.
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Equipment’s and Machineries: I have checked different type of construction equipment’s and
machines and their specified purposes in the construction site. These machines are very helpful
at easing human labor and of handling works that cannot be performed with normal human labor
or works that may consume a lot of time. Unlike human labor, I understood that these machines
perform well even under adverse climatic or topographical situations.
Surveying: I have understood surveying of the building construction is one of the basic activities
conducted at the site. Not only this but also how is same conducted and in which particular stage
of the construction work it is used either the sub structure or super structure.
Bar bending, splicing, positioning and tying: Once the formwork and false work is completed
bar bending, positioning and tying continues in accordance with the working drawings (structural
drawing) prepared by the designing team. Most of these activities were new and I have grasped
practical knowledge how each of these activities are performed practically at the site.
Casting and pouring: I have practically experienced casting and pouring activities of reinforced
concrete structure and equipment used for casting. As concrete is the main constituent or
ingredient of any reinforced concrete structure it is a vital material in any construction of
reinforced concrete. Hence, my practical understanding of how it is treated, poured, mixed was
of much importance. Moreover, I have also witnessed the equipment’s used for this kind of
work.
3.2 Enhanced Theoretical Knowledge
In addition to the practical knowledge I gained as expressed herein above, I have also enhanced
by classroom theoretical knowledge I already have, and it also gave me a better picture of how
the real world looks and differs from the theoretical part.
Not only contrasting my theoretical knowledge and the practical experience, the internship but
also gave me the chance to upgrade my theoretical knowledge and acquire new knowledge which
are somehow new and weren’t covered in the classroom including but not limited to quantity
surveying, structural design of shear wall and its advantage, construction equipment and writing
reports.
3.3 Interpersonal communication skill
This internship program taught me how communication is so vital that without speech language
and without being able to talk to and understand other people we can't do things particularly in
working environments like construction sites.
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Communication or how we express our positions, interpretations and requests is the key to
success on construction projects. From the discussions I had and my observation I have
practically witnessed how communication helps build and maintain relationships on construction
projects, fosters idea sharing, helps build confidence and strengthens team, acquire knowledge
about the project, improves management of the team, creates feedback loops and delivers
results. In the site the most things I gain is due to communication with other workers like
engineers, skilled and non-skilled workers, p\Forman etc.
3.4 Team Working
In construction sector it’s the most important to do the work together or in team. Actually not
only in construction but also in other work field too it’s so good to work together. In our
internship area there were more than 10 student and different worker skill man as well unskilled
man. my first time in the working environment interacting with people was difficult at first but
through time it got better and this new experience with the staff members and also other interns
by sharing their knowledge and also the interns from different work sections discussing their
assignments with us helped me to perform my tasks well. This led me to create friendship with
many great people. So I was try do with all as I can, like with my friends, with the site engineers,
with Forman’s, with consultant too and with project manager, because of this I was get different
knowledge from different person and improve my team playing skills. Some ways which I was
improving my team playing skills are:-
Communicate smoothly with all people around there.
listening actively
sharing ideas openly and willingly
Treating others in a respective and supportive manner.
Accuracy during task performance
Cooperates and helps others
3.5 Leadership skill
Leadership is all about confidence, self-esteem, trust, worthiness, good conducts and
professionalism. So I was get good knowledge to improve my leadership skills. It has helped me
realize that I can do better in the future some leadership skills which I develop are: -
How to create strong team in the site
How to follow up the worker smoothly
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How Develop sense of responsibility and risk taker in my work
How to understand and help the worker when they need it
3.6 Work ethics and related issues
Ethics” in the construction industry must be understood by students graduating in this 21 st
century as we will move into global markets unlike any ever seen before. From my discussion
with the site engineer I have understood that, their ability to acquire and maintain customers is
directly related to how those customers see the company’s ethical standards from both
management and employees. Personally, punctuality is one of the major code of conducts that
could be raised when talking about work ethics and on my side.
3.7 Entrepreneurship skill
My overall assessment of from the Internship program sets out the importance of innovativeness
and entrepreneurial spirit highly helps in improving the construction sector. It can be achieved by
establishing innovativeness of construction professionals, determining willingness take risk by
construction professionals and the roles of human resource management of construction
professionals actually contribute to the development of the construction sector. Hence, one of the
big lessons I took from the Internship is the opportunities available to innovate new way of doing
things to in the construction industry. This is because, a construction project mainly requires
large human, financial, material and equipment and institutional resources, but entrepreneurship
which is special human talent, helps to manage those factors of production such as labor
machinery and capital and with a unique character of taking risk on the process.
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CHAPTER FOUR
4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMANDATION
4.1 Conclusion
The Curriculum used for higher education system has new features that involve practical and
theoretical courses and the internship semester. CoTM engineering is a professional engineering
discipline that deals with the design, construction, management and maintenance of the physical
and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings.
The main objective of the internship program is to enable the intern to experience the practical
activities carried out on site (working environment) and correlate it with the theoretical back
ground gained through learning. Other objectives include if problems exist to identify its cause
and take engineering measures to solve it, to get accustomed to the working environment, to be
governed by the rule and regulation of the employer, to be more of team player. It is also
important for applying job placement in the hosting company after graduation.
During our work in the company we have learned how to communicate with workers: in turn we
also improved our interpersonal communication skills. Besides, we are able to understand work
ethics related issues such as punctuality, reliability, efficiency etc. On top of these we have
learned how to come up with a solution when challenges are facing during work time and we
have also improved our team playing and leader ship skills. We assure that the skills we gained
in the internship will actually help us to be efficient when we get into work after graduation
because we already get ourselves familiar with the skills which are essential in the working
environment. Therefore, we appreciate the institute to keep up on giving the internship for the
rest of students who come after us.
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4.2 Recommendation
During my internship stay at site, I was able to see construction of the clearing, foundation and
beam elements deeply. With the assistance of various site engineers, I followed up the
construction of various apartments. As I have mentioned in the conclusion, high care should be
given to the foundation work as the slightest mistake may result in a risky situation. But wrong
handlings and practices were seen being made by contractors (contradicting the contract
agreement they signed), knowingly or unknowingly. Some wrong doings are listed below.
Some individuals:
Fail to begin construction on time.
Tie reinforcement bars and stirrups in a way that don’t match the design.
Use stones and other materials of unknown thickness in place of spacers.
Use volume mixing, which is not permitted. This is because the weight of damp aggregate
must be adjusted to take in to account the weight if water in the aggregates, which in turn
affects the amount of water to be added to the mix.
Fail to cure the concrete and many expose the concrete surface to direct sunlight.
Over vibrate the concrete.
Remove the formworks and panels carelessly, which highly disturbs the setting/hardening
concrete.
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5. REFERENCES
A text book of Building Construction by Dr. Abebe Dinku Addis Ababa University
Building material and construction Lecture handout.
Company profile document.
Course related books.
Assosa University lecture hand out (reinforced concrete one and two).
EBCS 1995
EBCS.
Official web site – www/Flintstones construction plc.com
Our site Diary.
Printing press 2007 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Appendices
Aggregate: - is one of construction material used in production of concrete.
Beam: - A horizontal structural member, e.g. a long piece of timber, metal, or concrete
that spans a gap and supports a floor, roof, or other structure above.
Cement: -A binding material, or glue, that helps concrete harden
Column: - A vertical, structural element, strong in compression
Construction Materials: - any material used in construction industry. Examples:
cement, soil, aggregates, asphalt, etc.
Contract: - A contract is a mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to
provide the specified product and obligates the buyer to pay for it.
Masonry: - A building material such as stone, clay, brick, or concrete
Material: a substance or thing from which something else can be made. Examples:
Cement, brick, aluminum, soil, water.
Project Plan: A formal, approved document used to guide both project execution and
project control. The primary uses of the project plan are to document planning.
Reinforced Concrete: - concrete with steel bars or mesh embedded in it for increased
strength in tension; in pre-tensioned concrete, the embedded steel bars or cables are
stretched into tension before the concrete hardens; in post-tensioned concrete, the
embedded steel bars or cables are stretched into tension after the concrete hardens.
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