FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY OWERRI

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

A TECHNICAL REPORT OF THE STUDENTS INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES)

UNDERTAKEN AT:

PROPERTY 25 LIMITED, ASHLEY PLAZA, ORCHID HOTEL RD., BY 2ND TOLL GATE LEKKI, LAGOS STATE.

PERIOD OF ATTACHMENT:

JANUARY 2022 – JUNE 2022

SUBMITTED TO:

THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN

SUPERVISOR:

JUNE 2022
CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this report is original to the author, Okwara Chigozie Emmanuel of the Department
of Building Technology, School of Environmental Science, Federal University of Technology Owerri and
was supervised accordingly by;

Bldr.

Signature _________________
CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME (SIWES) BACKGROUND

In the earlier stage of science and technology education in Nigeria, students were graduating from their
respective institutions without any technical knowledge or working experience. It was in this view that
students undergoing science and technology related courses were mandated for students in different
institution in view of widening their horizons so as to enable them to have technical knowledge or
working experience before graduating from their various institutions.

The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was established by the Industrial Training Fund
(ITF) in 1973 to enable students of tertiary institution have technical knowledge of industrial work base
on their course of study before the completion of their program in their respective institutions. The
scheme was designed to expose students to industrial environment and enable them to develop
occupational competencies so that they can readily contribute their quota to national economic and
technological development after graduation. The major background behind the embarkment of students
in SIWES was to expose them to the industrial environment and enable them to develop occupational
competencies so that they can readily contribute their quota to national economic and technological
development after graduation. The major benefit accruing to students who participate conscientiously in
Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) are the skills and competencies they acquire. The
relevant production skills remain a part of the recipients of industrial training as life-long assets which
cannot be taken away from them. This is because the knowledge and skills acquired through training are
internalized and become relevant when required to perform jobs or functions.

1.1 OBJECTIVES

The Industrial Training Funds Policy Document No. 1 of 1973 which established SIWES outlined the
objectives of the scheme. The objectives are to:

⦁ Provide an avenue for students in higher institutions of learning to acquire industrial skills and
experiences during their course of study.

⦁ Prepare students for industrial work situations that they are likely to meet after graduation.

⦁ Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and machinery that
may not be available in their institutions.

⦁ Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance students’ contacts for
later job placements.

⦁ Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational knowledge in real work
situations, thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.

⦁ Enlist and strengthen employers’ involvement in the entire educational process and prepare
students for employment in Industry and Commerce (Information and Guideline for SIWES, 2002).
1.2 BODIES INVOLVED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SIWES

The bodies involved are:

⦁ The Federal Government.

⦁ Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

Other supervising agents are:

⦁ National University Commission (NUC)

⦁ National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)

⦁ National Council for Colleges of Education (NCE)

The functions of these Agencies above include;

⦁ Establish SIWES and accredit SIWES unit in the approved institutions.

⦁ Formulate policies and guideline for participating bodies and institutions as well as appointing
SIWES coordinators and supporting staff.

⦁ Supervise students at their places of attachment and sign their lob-book and IT forms.

⦁ Ensure payment of allowances for the students and supervisors.

⦁ Ensure adequate funding of the scheme.

1.3 BACKGROUND OF ESTABLISHMENT

CHAPTER TWO

3.0 WORK EXPERIENCED DURING ATTACHMENT

I was introduced by my industrial based supervisor to the proposed building site and the ongoing
maintenance works, which includes; Land inspection and testing of the soil, land preparation for the
building, digging of the foundation, damp proofing of the foundation, iron bending, and carpentry works
on the foundation, concrete casting of the reinforced foundation, block formation of the ground floor of
the building, casting of reinforced concrete columns and beams (pillars and lintels), casting of reinforced
concrete staircase, laying of electrical pipes and plumbing pipes as well as iron reinforcements in the
decking slab, casting of the decking slab, etc. My duties were to observe and report the weekly
construction activities and work progress carried out on site, and to execute a brief inspection of the
complaint with respect to building, from each department of the company and report to office for
further actions.

3.1 INTRODUCTION TO SITE MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERIES

In the process of my work experience program, I was introduced to various materials, equipment and
machinery used in the construction and development of a building.

MATERIALS

Example of materials used in building construction is as follows;

Cement: This is a powdered substance that develops strong adhesive properties when mixed with water.
It is used in Block work, Plastering, Rendering and Concreting. The establishment of Cement is achieved
by burning a mixture of clay and chalk or limestone in a kiln. A proportion of the raw materials in a
definite proportion are converted into liquid state by grinding, mixing and watering, termed Slurry. The
slurry is then conveyed through a set of pipes to rotary kiln which dry and burn the constituent in a high
temperature to form hard lumps.

This process changes the slurry to hard lumps called Clinker, which afterwards pass on through a
conveyor belt to the grinding mills for grinding to a fine powder in its final process. During the final
grinding, small quantity of gypsum of between 2 and 5% of the whole materials is added to retard the
setting time. Tests are usually carried out on the finished product occasionally to ensure high quality.

This process is mainly on Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) used for general purposes. There are other
types of cement made for special purposes, including Rapid Hardening Portland Cement (RHPC),
Sulphate resisting Portland cement and Low Heat Portland Cement, Water repellent Portland Cement,
and other varieties of cement such as; higher alumina cement, quick setting cement, white cement and
so on.

Reinforcement: Reinforcement is provided in concrete structures to enhance its tensile strength.

Aggregates: This consists of sand, ground crushed stone, pebbles, broken blocks and similar materials.
Aggregates may either be light or heavy weight and also All-in-Aggregates. Aggregates must be clean,
structural sound, well graded, weather resistance and inert in the presence of water.

Aggregates are of two types:

Coarse Aggregate; aggregate which consists largely of particles over 5mm in diameter. This is usually
gravel or crushed stones.

Mineral Fiber Felt: a waterproofing membrane consisting of a thin fibrous mat of polyester or glass
fibers saturated with bitumen or a bitumen-polymer, it lies between the actual roof and the house and
the layer of protection from the element. It is always 36” wide and they come in a rectangular shape
(roll). The mineral fiber felt was used during the repair of roof slabs leakages, it was applied after the
roof slabs has been primed, this was carried out by heating the primed surface and the felt together
with the aid of gas.

EQUIPMENTS

The following are examples of various tools used in construction;

Trowel: This is a flat metal blade fixed to a short handle used for the application, jointing, smoothing and
shaping of mortar in masonry. It is also used in the trimming of blocks/bricks. Trowel sizes ranges from
225-350mm measuring from the blade.

Spirit Level: This is a Hand-tool used for indicating true horizontal and vertical of a work, by means of an
air bubble sealed in a marked, liquid-filled glass tube mounted in a frame; the tube is horizontal when
the bubble is between two marks. Spirit levels are of various lengths ranging from about 225mm to
1.2m.

Straight Edge: The kind of straight edge that was used on the construction site is an Aluminum frame of
about 2m in length. The straight edge is used to check the fairness of the newly laid piece of a wall and
to ensure that all the blocks are laid to the same level of each course.

Iron Square: This is a hand tool of angle 90 which measures 600mm by 450mm long. It is used for setting
out walls at right angles to check for square nature of a section of work.

MACHINERIES

The machinery that was used on site was brought into consideration so as to promote the high
standards required particularly in the context of structural engineering works. Machinery is used on site
to eliminate heavy manual work thus reducing fatigue and as a consequence increasing productivity.
Such machineries that were used include;

Tilting Drum Concrete Mixer: This is a type of concrete mixer with a rotating hinged drum in which the
constituent materials are mixed thoroughly and can be tilted to enable emptying. Choice of Mixer ~ the
factors to be taken into consideration when selecting the type of concrete mixer required are …

1. Maximum output required (m3/ hour).

2. Total output required (m3).

4. Discharge height of mixer (compatibility with transporting method).

Poker Vibrator: This consists of a hollow steel tube casing in which is a rotating impellor which generates
vibrations as its head comes into contact with the casing. It is immersed in fresh concrete to provide
compaction through gentle agitation.

Block molding machine: The block molding machine has a demountable

mold which determines the size of the blocks to be molded. It is either powered by a diesel engine or
electricity. The engine enables the machine to induce the desired vibration to the mix placed in the mold
in order to enhance the strength of the blocks.

Piling rig: A piling rig is used to drive piles into the soil to provide foundation support for buildings,
bridges and other structures. A heavy weight is placed between guides allowing it to move up and down
in a single line. Once placed upon a pile, it is raised using diesel or hydraulics.

CONCRETING

This is generally referred to as Casting. It is a process of working with freshly mixed concrete especially
the placing of concrete. Before the establishment of the second floor some procedures were
undertaken. Such procedures include;

Material Supply and Storage: This is the receiving on site of the basic materials, namely cement, fine
aggregate and coarse aggregate and storing them under satisfactory conditions.

Cement is supplied in bags form and was stored on racks to prevent moisture penetration from the
ground in a dry store free from draughts which can introduce moist air and cause air set of the material.
Cement should not be stored on the site for a long period of time on site; therefore, provision should be
made for rotational use so that the material being used comes from older stock.

Aggregates were stored in Bays on a clean firm base to ensure that foreign matter is not included when
extracting materials from the base of the stockpile.

Batching: Before mixing was carried out, the ingredients have to be measured in their correct proportion
to enhance the quality of the concrete. Volume batching was used in this process with the aid of a head
pan with a ratio of 1:2:4 and 1:3:6 and this was supervised by the site engineer.

Mixing: The purpose of mixing is to coat the surfaces of Aggregate particles with cement paste and to
make it a uniform mass. The quality of mixture depends on the accuracy of proportioning of the
materials and the method of mixing. The method of mixing was carried out mechanically through the
use of a Tilting Drum concrete mixer.

FOUNDATION WORKS

Foundations consist of firm strata to prevent differential settlement of the structure and it provides
stability to the structure. It transfers the weight of the structure (live, dead, and other loads) to the
earth.
GROUND BEAM

A ground beam is a beam of reinforced concrete at or near ground level supporting a wall, and either
resting directly on the ground or transferring its load to piles or piers in the manner of a lintel.

PILING: Pilings are wooden, concrete or metal posts which are pushed into the ground and on which the
foundation of buildings and bridges are built on. Pilings are often used in very wet areas so that the
buildings do not flood, sink or collapse

Placing: Before the concrete was placed in the formwork, the inside of the formwork is thoroughly
cleaned, and a release agent (lubricant) was applied after the formwork was blown off of dust. The
concrete was placed at a reasonable height of not more than 1m to avoid the segregation of its
component material

Compacting: The Compacting of freshly placed concrete is to make it a unit mass by eliminating voids
within it. The method and the type of compaction given to concrete depend on the nature of work.
Poker Vibrator was used for the compacting of concrete during the construction of the floors of the new
building while the concretes of small works were compacted using tapping rod.

Curing: After the placing and compacting of the concrete it is allowed to sufficiently harden for a day
then the curing process comes in which involves the prevention of the evaporation of moisture in the
concrete. The concrete was watered for 7days with use of a hose pipe connected to a tank. This was
done to avoid shrinkage of the concrete and cause a more permanent and durable material produced.

After 21 days the formwork are removed completely to enhance the full setting of the reinforced
concrete floor.

Hence, concreting was carried out on almost all the construction work during my period of attachment.

SETTING OUT

Refers to the act of measuring and marking out a full size plan of a building or element of a building on
site. This is accomplished by transferring the architectural details from paper to the ground.

BLOCKWORK

The walling system was mostly carried out using concrete hollow blocks. The sizes of blocks were used in
respect to their functions. The 6 inches blocks were used mostly for internal walls while the 9 inches
blocks were used in load bearing areas and external walling. The bonding process used in the union of
these blocks is stretcher Bond; which is when the stretcher faces of the blocks appear on the front or
rear elevation of the wall.

LINTELS
Lintel is referred to as the beam above an opening in a building, which supports the weight above it and
transmits such weight of the imposed materials to the vertical sides of the wall opening. The lintel used
for the opening in the constructed fence was Precast Reinforced Concrete Lintel that was constructed on
site by using a wooden mould while the cast in-situ lintel was used for the construction of the new
university hostel. The precast lintel was transported and placed manually. One of the advantages of
precast lintel is that it quickens production.

Transportation: This involves the means of conveying concrete from the point of mixing to the point of
placement. The choice of transportation depends on the size and complexity of the site, weather
condition and the height of the placement of the concrete. The mode of transportation used was the
manual method with the use of head pans and labour. A mason’s ladder made of both bamboo and
timber was constructed to enhance vertical/inclined movements.

Concrete slab (decking): A concrete slab is a structural feature, usually of constant thickness that can be
used as floor or a roof. A slab on the ground is supported on the subsoil and is usually reinforced with
reinforcing bars or welded wire mesh. It is a two-dimensional, flat, uniform formation. It is built on a
level surface and made of sturdy concrete with reinforcement bars added to increase the tensile
strength of the structure. The sturdy concrete is a composite slab material, made up of cement, water
and aggregate (gravel, sand or rock) as well as the reinforcing steel bars.

CHAPTER FOUR

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING ATTACHMENT

Access Road: The access road to the site is extremely poor due to the lack of drainage and constant
passage of heavy vehicles such as trailers and Lorries.

Land Pollution: The soil and water of the land is polluted as a result of oil spillage from trailers and
lorries that were formerly abandoned on the land. The borehole that was sunk by the company was
producing water of brownish color.

Nature of Soil: The area of the site appears to be waterlogged thereby providing ponds of water in
excavated trenches.

Site Accommodations: The site accommodation is quite poor. The lack of provision of sleeping materials
like beds and mosquito treated nets. Laborers sleep on plywood and use only bed covers to protect
themselves against mosquitoes and other harmful insects.

4.1 RECOMMENDATION
The following Recommendation is referred to the Establishment I undertook my SIWES program, my
college, Industrial Training Fund and the Government; in order to improve and enhance the expected
results of the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme;

⦁ The Federal Government should establish and promote laws and agencies that regulate land use
to prevent pollution.

⦁ The Federal Government should provide and construct adequate roads in less developed areas.

⦁ The Federal Government should provide industries and organizations with incentives to
encourage and solicit for their cooperation and contribution to the programme

⦁ The management of Property 25 Ltd can create and organize a special forum for students on
attachment, this will help in discovering students’ potentials and to appropriately use them effectively.

⦁ The management of Property 25 Ltd should provide adequate social amenities for their workers
and enhance the welfare of their workers.

⦁ The management of Property 25 Ltd should try to encourage workers initiatives and
contributions to projects so at to enhance their esteem and contributions to such projects.

⦁ The Industrial Training Fund should provide a network in which Establishments and Students
could communicate better so promotes easier means of finding placements.

REFERENCES.

⦁ Dictionary of Architecture and Building construction by Nikolas Davies and Erkki Jokiniemi.

⦁ Building Construction Handbook by Roy Chudley and Roger Greeno.

⦁ Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K Ching (4th edition).

⦁ Essential Elements of Block-work Construction by Udoh Christopher Timothy (vol.1).

⦁ The Construction of Buildings by Barry R. vol.1 & 2 (1971).

⦁ Encyclopedia Britannica; Ultimate reference suite (2014).