A day on the grounds – earth, concrete and surfacing
Measurement, excavation, casting and paving in practice
Your workplace is the construction site and your working day is physical varied and outdoors. You work with soil concrete and stone you operate machines and you must be able to read drawings and calculate what you do. It is a trade where in the evening you can see what you have accomplished.
§Measurement and setting out
Almost everything starts with measuring. Based on drawings you set out the work in the field: where should there be digging, how high should a foundation be, what fall should a sewer pipe have? You use lines, levels and today often laser and GPS equipment. A fall that is set incorrectly means that water flows the wrong way – so precision is crucial.
§Excavation and earthwork.
Earthwork is the core of much of the work. You excavate for foundations, sewers and pipes, often with excavating machinery, and you move, distribute and compress soil and base layers. Compacting with a vibrating plate or roller is important: a poorly compacted base will settle and crack what is built on top. You must also know the soil – sand, clay and fill behave differently.
§Bracing and safety in excavations
A deep excavation is one of the most dangerous places on the grounds because the soil can collapse. Excavations are therefore braced or laid out with safe slopes according to rules and one does not stay in an unbraced deep excavation. A soil collapse happens without warning and can bury a person in seconds. It is a rule you never deviate from.
§Formwork reinforcement and casting
If concrete is to be poured you first build a formwork — a form the concrete is poured into — and lay reinforcing steel that gives the concrete tensile strength. Then the concrete is poured and vibrated so air pockets disappear and the concrete becomes tight. After pouring the concrete must be cured and kept moist while it hardens so it gains its full strength. Improper curing gives weak concrete.
- 01Build a stable formwork that can withstand the pressure of the concrete.
- 02Lay reinforcement correctly with right distances and cover layers.
- 03Pour out and vibrate so the concrete becomes tight and without air pockets.
- 04Keep the concrete moist while curing.
§Paving and covering
As a paver you create pavements in squares, driveways and pavements. You establish a stable base layer, lay a levelling layer and then lay stones or tiles in a pattern with even joints and the correct fall so water runs off. Finally the pavement is grouted and vibrated so the stones lock together. A good pavement is both beautiful and lasts for decades.
§The physical work and the collaboration
Work is physical and you must take care of your body with good working postures and aids. You almost always work in a crew where you solve the task together, and where good communication — especially around machinery — is crucial for safety. A construction site is a workplace where many trades meet, and where working together and cleaning up after yourself is part of professionalism.