DECLARATION

I ………………….declare that the information submitted in this report is as a result

of my hard work and efforts and has never been submitted to any instate for any
award.

Signature……………………………………………………Date…………………
APPROVAL.

SITE SUPERVISER: LUBOWA PAUL.

SIGNATURE:……………………………………………………….

DEPARTMENT SUPERVISER: SSENGOBA KASSULE

SIGNATURE:………………………………………………………..
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………..09

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING………………………………………………....09

COMPANY BACKGROUND……………………………………………...10

STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY………………...11

BREEFING………………………………………………………………….12

ABOUT THE SITE………………………………………………………….13

SITE ORGANIZATION…………………………………………………….14

SITE SECURITY……………………………………………………………14

SITE STORAGE……………………………………………………………..14

SITE SAFETY………………………………………………………………..15

CHAPTER TWO

ACTIVITIES TAKEN PART IN AT THE SITE…………………………16

FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION…………………………………………16

DRAINING WATER………………………………………………………...18

FOUNDATION SLAB……………………………………………………….19

COLUMNS…………………………………………………………………...20

UPPER SLAB………………………………………………………………...22

MAXPANS…………………………………………………………………...23

VOIDS……………………………………………………………………….25

RETAINING WALL CONSTRUCTION……………………………………26

FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF A RETAINING WALL……………27

STAIR CASE………………………………………………………………...28
RAMP………………………………………………………………………..29

QUALITIES OF GOOD RAMP APPLIED………………………………….29

CHAPTER THREE

ACQUIRED SKILLS………………………………………………………..30

RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………30

CHAPTER FOUR

MATERIALS USED ON SITE……………………………………………..31

TIMBER…………………………………………………………………….31

CONCRETE………………………………………………………………...31

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE……………………………………32

SANDANDAGREGATES………………………………………………….33

STEEL………………………………………………………………………33

TYPES OF BARS…………………………………………………………..33

STORAGE OF STEEL ON SITE…………………………………………..33

BAR BENDING…………………………………………………………….33

CUTTING BARS…………………………………………………………...33

CHAPTER FIVE

CHALLENGES FACED……………………………………………………34

CONCLUTIONS……………………………………………………………34
DEDICATION

I dedicate this report to my dear family members and to all my friends. May God reward
them abundantly for their support.
ABSTRACT

Industrial training is a requirement as practice in a field of a given discipline where

usually undergraduate students need to attain and are subject to practical skills and
developing a career participate to gain hands-on experience in the real practice of work in
their area of study. During the training a student is required to keep record of all the
work done in order to provide proof about the knowledge and skills acquired. After the
training period such record and detailed information is used during assessment for the
award of the degree after the scheduled time of study.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

I would first of all like to send my sincere thanks to the Almighty God for the gift of life,
knowledge, wisdom and strength that have enabled me reach to this moment in time.

I also recognize the great role played by my parents in my life, their money and time they
invest in me since childhood until this time and their willingness to continue supporting
me.

I send my vote of appreciation to Kyambogo University and more especially the

department of Lands and Architectural Studies for organizing such a program were we
are able to acquire practical skills.

I also take this opportunity to thank span contractors Uganda limited for accepting me as
their student and for all the support they have rendered me in this whole period of
internship. My sincere thanks also go to engineer Kaddu, engineer Paul, engineer Annet
Nakajugo, and flavia for their outstanding support.

I thank my fellow students without whom this program wouldn’t be a success. I also
thank all the workers on the site for their practical support.
CHAPTER ONE.

INTRODUCTION

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

Engineering is a very practical profession which involves applying scientific principles as

well as nature in to day-to-day life so as to benefit man.

The department of Lands and Architectural Studies of Kyambogo University therefore

attaches undergraduate students to engineering firms during their recess period for their
industrial training. This training enables students to acquire hands on practical skills in
their various disciplines and also compete favorably with students from other institutions.

At the end of this training period, students are required to write a report about the
activities that took place at the site, those activities they took part in during training as
well as the various skills acquired.

Objectives of industrial training.

 To get exposed to the engineering field operations so as to actualize on the

theoretical knowledge organized from class.
 To adapt to the working environment.
 To understand and resolve challenges in the working environment.
 To understand how the different specialist work hand in hand to successfully
execute a project.
 To acquire practical working supervision and management skills as a future civil
engineer.

I had industrial training with Span contractors Uganda Limited on one of their sites along
Kafumbe Mukasa Road and Mengo Road opposite USAFI market. This training was for a
period of two months of June and July.
COMPANY BACKGROUND.

Registered in 2013 and has been in the field of construction for the last eight years.

We at span contractors limited have a keen team player spirit and we pride ourselves on
quality work man-ship and the timely competition of projects.

Vision; To ensure that our operations safe guard the health, safety, environment and
security of community of communities where we work.

Mission; To strive for perfection in anticipation of exceeding our clients highest

expectation, building good client relationship through leadership creative solutions and
hard work.

Since construction can be hazardous business, we are dedicated to education

implementation and self monitory of all safety programmers to ensure the safest working
environment for all employees.
STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE COMPANY

CLIENT

ARCHITECT

STRUCTURAL ENG. QUANTITY MECHANICAL/

SURVEYOR ELECTRICAL ENG

CONTRACTOR

SITE ENG / ASSISTANT

SUPERVISORS

FOREMAN FORM FOREMAN STEEL FOREMAN FOREMAN

WORK CONCRETE ELECTRICAL

ELECTRICIAN
CARPENTERS & STEEL MASONS &PORTERS
PORTERS FIXERS,PORTERS
BRIEFING.

Briefing refers to an act of giving precise instructions or essential information about any
given activity.

This was the first activity on the site was done by the site engineer and involved various
activities inclusive of the following;

 General introduction to the site and site activities.

 Touring the whole site area, the roads and the neighboring buildings.
 Study of the site organization of the site.
 Study of the site proposed plan for the foundation as well as the whole structure.
 Lecture about the general conduct during site activities.
ABOUT THE SITE

PROJECT: PROPOSED COMMERCIAL BUILDING ON PLOT 4A MENGO

ROAD.

CONTRACTOR: SPAN CONTRACTORS LIMITED.

PROJECT ENGINEER: KADDU ENOCH

SITE SUPERVISOR: LUBOWA PAUL

SITE ORGANISATION

The site was organized in a unique way as described under the following; site storage,
security, Access to the sight.

SITE STORAGE

Due to the very many materials required and used on the site, different materials were
kept differently depending on the nature of the materials.

Delicate materials like cement, iron nails and iron bars were kept safe from weather
changes that could easily damage them by locking them into containers. To reduce on the
space to be occupied, the container for iron bar was placed on top of the cement.

Other materials like machines used i.e. hoes, spedetc. and over coats were kept in
a store created on one of the other containers.

Movable machines like wheel barrows were always collected in one place after
use

SITE SECURITY

The site was safe security because of the reliability of two armed policemen 24hrs. These
were also responsible for who would access the siteat a given time. For more emphasis on
security, the site was fenced up with iron sheets to avoid encroachment by people who
passed by on the nearby road. Security lights were also installed so as to provide light
during night hours of darkness. All the workers on the sight were also registered every
morning and evening so as to add on the security on the site.
ACCESSIBILITY TO THE SITE.

Accessibility to the site was limited therefore only site workers, site engineers and any
other individual who had permission and appointments with the site engineers like
students.

SITE SAFETY ANDFIRST AID.

All workers were required to put on protective attires so as to avoid unnecessary

accidents of mainly cuts and falling items and instruments. These included; gumboots,
helmets and gloves

There was also a room set aside on the side for first aid purposes. This was use to treat
any worker or individual who had gotten an injury or an accident.
CHAPTER TWO.

ACTIVITIES TAKEN PART IN AT THE SITE.

FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION.

A foundation refers to that part of the building that is in direct contact with the ground
and transfers all loads carried by the building on to the ground.

The type of foundation used was strip foundation as per the designer of the plan and also
basing on the nature of the area .The construction and setting of the foundation involved
majorly the following activities; excavation, setting out, draining of the water and casting
of concrete.

The process began by giving levels to be excavated. These levels were determined with
reference to the levels of the nearby roads i.e. Kafumbemukasa road and Mengo road.
These levels were determined by of the water level which was used to transfer the levels
from a point to another and tape measures. Excavation process was done by a tractor
operated by an individual and the excavated soil loaded onto tracks and taken away from
the site.

The setting out of the foundation began by re-enforcement of the base slab on which the
strips were to be casted. Since the excavation was done by a tractor, it was non uniform.
Therefore the base slab was put so as to provide a relative leveled plat form setting the
strip beams. This base slab was non-uniform in a height as a result of the difference in
ground level although it had a relatively same level at its surface. It was 2500mm wide.

After the concrete slab had set, the strip beams were set perpendicular to each other
forming rectangular figures. The beams were made of steel reinforced concrete. The steel
was connected by use of rings and binding wire.

Fig:

These strips were 900mm width and 500mm height after casting the concrete. At every
intersection of the beams, a column was placed with its re-enforcement binded to that of
strips. The re-enforcement was then covered by form work made of timber [12 1]
supported by poles. Casting concrete then followed using gauge 25 of concrete. I.e. in1;
2;4 of cement sand and stones respectively. The whole foundation was casted by gauge
25 so as to ensure strength. As a result of excavation, underground water wells poured
water into the foundation thus making work hard

.
DRAINING WATER.

The accumulated water within the foundation was drained out by use of a pump into the
nearby sewerage system. Because the wells are continuous, pipes were also installed into
the strip beams where the excess water would pass and then channeled into a circular
hole dug into the ground with in the building.

This hole was dug in a suitable area within the building to act as a collection centre
(artificial well) for all the excess water that passed through the installed pipes. On
accumulation, the water was to be pumped out by use of an electric pump installed within
the well and then pumped into the nearby sewerage system outside the building.
FOUNDATION SLAB

The foundation slab comprised of several layers of materials which were built up from
the ground level. These layers included; hardcore, blinding sand, damp proof membrane
and then the concrete layer.

Hardcore comprised of large particles of stones with leveled and rolled edges. It was
spread, leveled and rolled over the foundation to provide a base suitable for construction.
Blinding was then placed on the hardcore to fill the voids on the surface of the hardcore.
This provided a relatively smooth surface on which the damp proof membrane was
placed followed by concrete casting. The steel mesh was then placed followed by the
concrete cover

The hardcore was about 100mm, the damp proof membrane about 10mm and then the
concrete about 250mm.
COLUMNS.

A column refers to an isolated vertical load bearing member with width that is more or
less the same as its thickness.

Columns were raised at every intersection of the tripe beams. Columns were
600mm/600mm as well as 500mm/500mm. all the columns within the building were
500mm/500mm while those at the ends o the building were 600mm/600mm. all columns
were rectangular in shape.

The columns were made of steel reinforced concrete. The base of the columns’
reinforcement was binded to that of the strip beams as well as that of the base slab so as
to make them firm and strong enough to transfer the loads on to the ground. The
reinforcement comprised of twenty iron bars i.e.; ten Y20 and then the other Y25 and
these were binded using binding wire.

After the reinforcement, kicker lines were given as a starting point for setting the
formwork. These were given by use of a building line, plumb bob and tape measure. The
building line was tied at two opposite ends of the slab on marks given by the sight
engineer. The required kicker lines were then got by plumbing the building line on to the
ground using a plumb bob and a marked on to the floor.

The form work used on the columns was by use of both metallic plates with angle lines at
their ends and use of wooden planks with timber fixed by nails. The form work would
then be plumbed such that they are upright and then finally supported.
The concrete used when casting was of grade 25; that is 1:2:4 ratio of cement, sand and
aggregates respectively. A vibrator was passed through the concrete being cast to ensure
uniformity during setting after casting.

Also for proper setting, the columns were kept moist for about ten days. This was made
possible by use of tins with holes on their bottoms and these were placed on top of the
columns. There was also continuous pouring of water on to the columns by workers and
this was done on a daily basis for a period of one week.
UPPER SLAB.

PROCEDURE OF CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE SLABS

Erection of the formwork

Positioning of the services
Put the hollow pots in position
Positioning of reinforcement rods
Mix and pour concrete
cure concrete and remove the formwork

The upper slab was a horizontal slab of steel reinforced concrete with maxpans. The slab
was built in situ i.e. it was built on the building using formwork.

N.B. Form work refers to a type of boxing into which the concrete was poured.

The form work was built from wooden planks and steel plates. The steel plates were
placed on horizontal timber pieces which were held by timber pieces that run horizontally
across and then nailed to vertical poles.

The reinforcement bars were positioned within the form work before the concrete was
poured. Eight Y16 bars were binded together using binding wire and rings in a
rectangular shape to form support beams. Spacers were used to hold the bars away from
the bottom and sides of the form work such that when the concrete sets, it completely
envelopes the reinforcement.

Maxpans were then laid onto the formwork.

MAXPANS

Maxpans are hollow clay building materials used in concrete slabs. These are used in
multi storied buildings to reduce the weight of the suspended concrete floors and the total
weight of the building. Maxpans also save a lot of money by reducing the total cost of the
building.

The maxpans used were 300mm×200mm and these were arranged in a uniform pattern to
form rows living a space of 150mm between the rows.

The steel reinforcement bars were then laid in between the maxpans together with
electrical installation pipes; a steel mesh was then laid on top of the maxpans and the
concrete was then added and vibrated to hold them together. The slab was to be supported
by concrete reinforced beams (drop beams) with thickness 25mm
 .

The concrete slab covered 250mm with the maxpans occupying 200mm and the concrete
cover occupying 50mm of the total slab thickness. The concrete used was of grade 25; i.e.
1:2:4 ratio of cement, sand and aggregates.

For proper setting of the concrete, water was poured on to the slab so as to keep it moist
for a period of about ten days.
VOIDS

These are spaces that were left while setting and casting concrete for the slabs starting
from the upper slab of the basement. These were left so as to allow light and fresh air into
the building. The formwork for the voids comprised of 12” by 1” timber and soft
plywood which were supported by wooden planks and poles. Therefore during casting of
concrete, the enclosed area would be left out thus forming a whole in the slab.

Fig:
RETAINING WALL CONSTRUCTION.

A retaining wall is a structure designed and constructed to resist the lateral pressure of
soil when there is a desired change in ground elevation that exceeds the angle of repose
of the soil. Every retaining wall supports a wedge of soil. A wedge refers to soil that
extends beyond the failure plane of the soil type present at the wall site.

The most consideration in proper design and installation of a retaining wall is to

recognize and counteract the tendency of the material to move down slope ddue to
gravity.

The retaining wall was made from an internal stem of steel re-enforcement and concrete
cast in place in a shape of an inverted T. The reinforcement constituted of opposite
parallel Y12bars running vertically upwards from the base slab reinforcement. These
were then binded with Y10 bars that run horizontally at intervals of 200mm.

The reinforcement bars were then covered by formwork. The formwork comprised of
timber, timber purlins and poles for support. These were nailed at either sides of the
reinforcement and supported well to avoid sliding.

The form work was then filled with concrete.

The functional requirements of the retaining wall

The weight of the retaining wall together with the force resulting from the
earth pressure acting on it, should not stress its foundation to a value
greater than safe bearing capacity of the soil on which it is founded.

The wall should be structurally stable to resist the pressure applied to it.

The wall should be safe from consideration of sliding, i.e. the wall should
not be pushed out by any lateral pressure.

The backfilling material should be suitably drained by providing weep

holes so as to prevent the accumulation of water behind the retaining wall.

The section of the wall should be so proportioned that it will not overturn
by lateral pressure.
STAIR CASE.

A stair case is a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it

into smaller vertical .distances called steps. These may be straight, round etc.

The stair was a straight stair built to join the first floor level to the second floor level. It
comprised of twenty risers and twenty treads with two landings. Construction began by
measurements and these included; determination of the total rise and determination of the
total run. These were determined using a tape measure
RAMP.

A ramp is a gently sloping / inclined plane which connect one floor to another or one
level to another.

A ramp is constructed in buildings to enable the disabled people with wheel chairs to
access the upper floors of the building.

At span contractors, it was constructed to link the basement floor to the ground floor. It
was constructed by binding together steel bars which were later cast with concrete.

Qualities of a good ramp applied

The ramp was made gently sloping for easy movement of people

It was strategically located at the middle of the building in the basement at the entrance
on the ground floor i.e. along kafumbe mukasa road

The open sides of the ramp were to be covered by the hand rails and balusters to avoid
accidents.
CHAPTER THREE.

ACQUIRED SKILLS AND RECOMANDATIONS

From this two months period of internship, I have been able to acquire practical skills in
the various fields of construction and building as below;

I have been able to learn and understand how various equipment and machines are used
on the site for example; trowel, plumb bob, wheel barrels, sped, hoes, water levels,
hummers, etc.

I have also been able to learn the usage and purpose of various equipments on the site.

I have learnt how costing and quantifying is being done at site for the various materials
used such as cement, sand, stones and bricks.

I have also learnt how to socialize and work with large numbers of individuals most
especially the workers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

I recommend Kyambogo University for organizing such an important program that

acquaints us with the required skills in the field as well as the supervisors both site and
university supervisors.

If Span contractors can continue giving students of my kind chance to train with them, I
believe the construction industry will get to another level in many years to come.

It’s for this reason I recommend different students in my profession and other relevant
fields to this company to take chance and prove their wealth.

Span contractors as accompany can also saw a leaf of advancement to our Government to
step up construction methods to the World Standards.

They should also request to give student lunch and transport student are suffering to the
site
CHAPTER FOUR.

MATERIALS USED AT SITE.

Various building materials were used on site during construction some of which include
the following with their respective properties;

Timber.

The main sources of timber are trees and shrubs. Different trees give different types of
timber for example soft wood and hard wood timber which come from the different types
of wood. Examples of hard wood trees are spruce and pine.

Trees are classified into two groups; hard woods and soft woods. In general hard woods
can withstand more stress than softwoods and are used for external construction.
Softwoods are best used for items like furniture. The nature of your project will
determine the type of wood to use.

Hardwood timber is made up of four cell types. Small wood fibres make up the bulk of
the wood. Large cells, called vessels, function as pipes that move sap up the tree through
the mass of fibres. Other cells are largely used to store food.

Softwoods do not have vessels. These have a simpler fibrous structure based on only two
cell types. The easiest way to distinguish between the two groups is to remember that
flowering trees are all hardwoods while cone-bearing trees are softwoods. Hard woods
include eucalyptus, wattles and oaks while pines and cypresses are softwoods.

Concrete.

Concrete is a composite material composed of water, coarse granular material embedded

in a hard matrix of material that fills the space among the aggregate materials and glues
them together. Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations,
brick/block walls, bridges, highways, etc. Concrete is used in large quantities almost
everywhere mankind has aneed for infrastructure.
Characteristics of concrete.

Strength and durability;Concrete is used in the majority of buildings, bridges, tunnels

and dams for its strength. It is not weakened by moisture, mould or pests. Concrete
structures can withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes.

Versatility; concrete is used in buildings, bridges, dams, tunnels, sewerage systems,

runways and even roads.

Low maintenance; concrete being inert, compact and non-porous, does not attract mould
or lose its key properties overtime.

Affordability; compared to other comparable building materials, concrete is less costly

to produce and remains extremely affordable.

Fire-resistance; being naturally fire-resistant concrete forms a highly effective barrier to

fire spread.

SAND AND AGREGATES

Sand is a natural product which is obtained as river sand, nalla sand and pit sand.
However sea sand shouldn’t be used for the following reasons;

It contains shells and other organic matter, which decompose after sometime,
reducing the life of the mortar.
It contains salt and hence structure will remain damp. The mortar is affected by
efflorescence and blisters appear.

Aggregates may be obtained artificially by crushing hard stones to produce aggregates.

Sand is used in mortar and concrete for the following purpose;

It subdivides the paste of binding material into thin films and allows it to adhere
and spread.
It fills up the gap between the building blocks and spreads the binding material.
It prevents the shrinkage of the cementing material.

The properties of good sand are;

It should be chemically inert

It should be free from organic matter

It should be free from salt

 It should be well graded and hard

Cement;

Cement is a fine, soft, powdery type substance. It’s made from a mixture of elements that
are found are found in natural materials such as limestone, clay, sand/or shale. When
cement is mixed with water, it can bind sand and gravel into a hard, solid mass called
concrete. Cement mixed with water and sand forms cement plaster while cement mixed
with water, lime and sand forms mortar.

STEEL

Steel was also a major construction material used while building the commercial building
at plot 4A Mengo road Kampala. It was used as reinforcements in construction of beams,
foundation, slab, stair case and columns.

Types of bars

There were several types of bars used and they included mild steel bars, twisted bars and
high tensile bars.

These bars were also in different sizes such as R8, R10, R12, Y16, Y20 and Y25 and each
size would be used conveniently as directed by the structural engineer.

Storage of steel on site

The steel iron bars were stored in strong and lockable stores which were in form of
containers. This would keep them safe from thieves and bad weather conditions such as
moisture that can make them rust.

Bar bending

The steel bars were bent according to the specifications in the structural drawings. The bars
were bent in different shapes i.e. L-shape where the bars were bent at right angles and U-
shape. The bars were bent using steel hollow pipes and steel benders.

Cutting bars

Steel bars were cut to desired sizes using a steel grinder. This grinder was power driven
and it would ease the work of steel cutting.
CHAPTER FIVE

CHALLENGES FACED DURING THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

There were few challenges faced during the training period. Am grateful to the
Almighty who enabled me go through. To highlight some of them;
Technical works were not easily adoptable since some of them were not familiar
with. Lacked enough knowledge since we were yet to cover head when the
university program resumes.
Another problem was poor communication skills by some of site employees.
While these people were well versed with what they were doing, they didn’t know
how to explain it for others to understand.

CONCLUSIONS

There several challenges faced which I thank God for having led me through.

However, I have not been able to elaborate on all activities. My gratitude will still go to
the entire Management of SPAN CONTRACTORS LIMITED for enabling me acquires
the practical skills.

The information provided by the company employees was genuine and freely exposed to
all Trainees. As a result of quality work, SPAN CONTRACTORS LIMITED will remain
the leading construction company in Uganda. It’s because they have proven to follow
International Standards of construction.

The training period has been that short which calls for me to desire another chance to
train with SPAN CONTRACTORS Construction.