The groundworker upskilling program is a two-week focused practical training course designed especially for groundworkers, to equip them with useful setting out skills. The course covers levelling including laser levels, tape measure, Total station, GNSS and interpreting drawings.
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Description
Setting out has traditionally been carried out by Engineers. Until relatively recently this was appropriate due to the complexity of the equipment and the in-depth maths involved. However, over the last few decades advances in technology have dramatically simplified the process of setting up the equipment and removed the need for the lengthy geometric and trigonometric hand calculations required for each measurement taken.
This means there are now many routine tasks that can be carried out by other members of the site team provided they are given the right training and supervision. Those with groundworks experience are ideally placed to carry out certain setting out activities, as by the very nature of their work they have already demonstrated many of the competences needed such as practical ability, spatial reasoning, basic setting out, working to positions and levels set out by Engineers, interpreting drawings and familiarity with construction details and processes. Laser levels and Machine Control are perfect examples of how groundworkers have adapted to technology. However, in other areas, technology has progressed, but job roles have not adapted to optimise efficiency and productivity.
Many construction companies face challenges relating to setting out including a high turnover of Engineers, high recruitment costs, high daily rates of freelance Engineers, frequent handovers leading to inefficiency and increased chances of errors, and setting out errors leading to wastage and rework costs and delays.
This course has been designed to help address these challenges by upskilling those with groundworks backgrounds to take on certain setting out tasks, reducing the workload on Engineers and freeing them up to focus on the value adding activities that are within their skillset.
Learning Objectives
On completion of this training candidates will be able to:
- Carry out level, measurement and visual checks on setting out completed by the Engineer
- Take basic levels and measurements of existing features or as-built elements and create a sketch of the information
- Install local benchmarks and control points in relation to reliable control points installed by the Engineer
- Extract information from construction drawings and use it to calculate slopes for setting pipe lasers and laser levels
- Set up profile boards for level excavations and drainage runs
- Carry out gradient calculations and set up a dual grade laser level
- Record work correctly in the industry standard way (for example when setting up laser levels) which reduces the risk of errors and can be used as supporting evidence in claims/ Events
- Use a tape measure to set out the position of construction elements in relation to existing features or setting out carried out by the Engineer (e.g. set out pop-ups in relation to the corners of a slab)
- Use the Total Station for creating as-built surveys as the works progress (e.g. manhole positions, invert levels, fill levels, kerblines)
- Use GNSS equipment for setting out drainage, roads and earthworks positions and levels
- Extract relevant information from construction drawings and use it to create a sketch for recording, engineering or construction purposes
- Survey as-built foundations, find the high point and set shim levels for steel columns
- Use the Total Station to set out the positions of bolt boxes in relation to nails installed by the Engineer
- Use the Total Station to plumb walls and columns
