DECLARATION

I hereby declared that this technical report is carried out by me in accordance with
the rules and regulations governing student industrial work experience scheme
(SIWES) report, was written by ME and submitted to department of civil
engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic. I neither copied someone’s work nor someone
copied mine; Authors whose works are referred to in this report are duly
recognized.

____________________________ _______________________________

DAVID KOLAWOLE OSUNDERU DATE

KPT/COE/
 CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that this report is a work undertaken by DAVID KOLAWOLE
OSUNDERU with registration number KPT/COE/21/EV/0012 and has been
written in accordance with rules and regulations governing Student Industrial
Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) report and presentation in KADUNA
POLYTECHNIC
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page I
Cover page
ii Certification
iii Acknowledgement
iv Table of contents
vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
SIWES Background 1
1.1 Objectives of SIWES
1
1.2 Bodies involved in the management of SIWES 2

CHAPTER 2:
2.0 Work experience during attachment
2.1 Introduction to construction materials, equipment’s and machineries. 8
2.2 Foundation works.
2.3 Block work 16
2.5 Lintels 16
2.6 Ground beam
2.7 Maintenance and repair of roofs 17

CHAPTER 3
3.1 Problems encountered during period of attachment
CHAPTER 4
4.0 conclusion 21
4.1 Recommendation 22
References 23

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 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 develop occupational
competencies so that they can readily contribute their quota to national economic
and technological development after graduation. The major background behind the
embankment of students in SIWES was to expose them to the industrial
environment and enable them 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:
 1. Provide an avenue for students in higher institutions of learning to acquire
industrial skills and experiences during their course of study.
2. Prepare students for industrial work situations that they are likely to meet
after graduation.
3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment and
machinery that may not be available in their institutions.
4. Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance
students’ contacts for later job placements.
5. Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational knowledge
in real work situations, thereby bridging the gap between theory and practice.
6. 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 log-book and IT
forms.
 Ensure payment of allowances for the students and supervisors.
 Ensure adequate funding of the scheme.
CHAPTER TWO 3.0 WORK EXPERIENCED DURING
ATTACHMENT
I was introduced by my industrial based supervisor to the proposed building site
and the ongoing construction works, which includes; the mixing of concrete, beam
construction etc. I was also introduced to the construction of a public toilet, a
walkway and an ongoing construction of a new school building. My duties were to
observe and report the weekly construction activities and work progress carried out
on site, and also to execute a brief inspection of the complaint with respect to
building, from each department of the university 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’s and machineries 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. Therefore, in all structural elements, the reinforcement is provided
in the region of the element that will be subjected to tension. Standard bar
diameters ~ 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 25, 32 and 40 mm. Aggregates: This consists of
sand, ground crushed stone, pebbles, broken blocks and similar such 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:
Fine Aggregate; this should be clean, sharp and passes through the sieve size of
4.5mm. 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 block/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 length 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 machineries that were used on site were brought into
considerations so as to promote high standards required particularly in the context
of structural engineering works. Machineries are 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).
3. Type or method of transporting the mixed concrete. 4. Discharge height of mixer
(compatibility with transporting method). Poker Vibrator: This consist 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. Pic; poker vibrator Block molding machine:
The block molding machine has a demountable mound 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 mound in order to enhance the strength of the blocks. pic; Block molding
machine

3.2 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 where undertaken. Such
procedures include;
1. 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 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 stock pile.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 labor. A mason’s ladder made of both bamboo and timber was
constructed to enhance vertical/inclined movements.
5. 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 so as to avoid the segregation of its component
materials.
6. 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 university
hostel while the concretes of small works were compacted using tapping rod.
7. 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.

3.3 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.
3.4 FOUNDATION WORKS Foundation 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.
3.4 BLOCKWORK The walling system was mostly carried out using sandcrete
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 block is Stretcher Bond; which is when the stretcher faces of the
blocks appear on the front or rear elevation of the wall.

3.5 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.

3.6 GROUND BEAM 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.

3.7 MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF ROOFS

4.0 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING
ATTACHMENT
1. Access Road: The access road to the site is extremely poor due to the lack of
drainages and constant passage of heavy vehicles such as trailer and Lorries.
2. Land Pollution: The soil and water of the land is polluted as a result of oil
spillage from trailers and lorries that where formerly abandoned on the land. The
borehole that was sunk by the company was producing water of brownish color.
3. Nature of Soil: The area of the site appears to be water logged thereby providing
ponds of water in excavated trenches.
4. 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;
1. The Federal Government should establish and promote laws and agencies that
regulate land use to prevent pollution.
2. The Federal Government should provide and construct adequate roads in less
developed areas.
3. The Federal Government should provide industries and organizations with
incentives to encourage and solicit for their cooperation and contribution to the
program.
4. The management of SMAF 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.
5. The management of SMAF LTD should provide adequate social amenities for
their workers and enhance the welfare of their workers.
6. The management SMAF LTD should try to encourage worker’s initiatives and
contributions to projects so at to enhance their esteem and contributions to such
projects.
7. 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 Timot