16.1 The Construction Team: Site Management, Trades & Site Visitors
Key Takeaways
The site management team in the Unit 210 range includes the architect, project manager or clerk of works, structural engineer, surveyor, building services engineer, quantity surveyor, buyer, estimator, contracts manager and construction manager.
The quantity surveyor measures and values work and variations, the estimator prices work for tenders and quotations, and the buyer orders materials.
Trades such as groundworkers, bricklayers, joiners, plasterers, tilers, heating and ventilating fitters, gas fitters and decorators must be coordinated with electrical first and second fix.
Site visitors include building control inspectors (Building Regulations), water inspectors, HSE inspectors and electrical services inspectors, and they must sign in and follow site rules.
16.1 The Construction Team: Site Management, Trades & Site Visitors
Unit 210 (Understand how to communicate with others within building services engineering) is a 20-question, 40-minute test. Learning outcome 1 (5 questions) asks you to identify the key roles of the site management team, the people who report to that team, and site visitors. Knowing who does what tells you whom to ask, whom to report to and whose work affects yours.
The Site Management Team
| Role | What they do | Why it matters to the electrician |
|---|---|---|
| Architect | Designs the building's layout and appearance, prepares drawings and specifications, and may administer the building contract | Produces the layout drawings; architect's instructions can change (vary) your work |
| Project manager | Plans and controls the whole project: time, cost, quality and coordination of everyone involved | Sets the programme and resolves clashes between trades |
| Clerk of works | The client's on-site inspector, checking workmanship and materials against the drawings and specification | Inspects your installation and records any defects for you to put right |
| Structural engineer | Designs foundations, frames, beams and other load-bearing parts of the building | Must approve any cutting or drilling of structural members beyond normal limits |
| Surveyor | Measures and assesses land and buildings, sets out the site and reports on the condition of existing buildings | Provides surveys, levels and information on existing structures |
| Building services engineer | Designs the mechanical and electrical services: power, lighting, heating, ventilation and water | Produces the electrical drawings, schedules and specifications you install from |
| Quantity surveyor | Measures quantities, prepares bills of quantities, and manages costs, valuations and variations | Values the work you complete and agrees the cost of changes |
| Buyer | Orders materials and equipment at the best price and arranges deliveries | Materials must be ordered in time to keep to the programme |
| Estimator | Calculates the cost of a job (materials, labour and plant) to prepare a tender or quotation | Accurate estimates make work profitable for your company |
| Contracts manager | Manages one or more contracts for the contractor, overseeing supervisors, budgets and programmes across sites | Your company's link between the site and the office |
| Construction (site) manager | Runs the site day to day: safety, programme, trades, site rules and inductions | Gives inductions, site rules and permits, and coordinates access to work areas |
People Who Report to the Site Management Team
- Sub-contractors: specialist firms employed by the main contractor, such as the electrical contractor, scaffolders and plasterers.
- Site supervisor: manages the workforce on a site or part of it.
- Trade supervisor: for example the electrical supervisor or chargehand, who allocates the electricians' work and checks its quality.
- Trades: the skilled operatives listed below.
| Trade | What they do | Coordination with the electrician |
|---|---|---|
| Ground workers | Excavation, foundations, drainage and service trenches | Lay ducts for incoming supplies and external cables before the ground is closed |
| Bricklayer | Builds walls and blockwork | Can build in boxes and conduits as walls go up, which saves chasing later |
| Joiner (carpenter) | Floors, roofs, stud walls, doors and boxing-in | Coordinate notching and drilling of joists and studs, and access traps |
| Plasterer | Plastering and dry-lining | First fix must be complete (and buried cables checked) before boards and plaster cover them |
| Tiler | Wall and floor tiling | Agree box positions so accessories sit neatly within the tiling |
| Electrician | Electrical installation, inspection and testing | Coordinates with all the others |
| Heating and ventilating (H&V) fitter | Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems | Controls wiring, supplies to plant, and bonding where required |
| Gas fitter | Gas pipework and appliances (must be Gas Safe registered) | Keep electrical services apart from gas pipes; main bonding of metallic gas pipes |
| Decorator | Painting and finishing | Second fix accessories are usually fitted after decorating, or must be protected |
A typical sequence on a new building is shown below. Delays or mistakes by one trade affect every trade that follows, which is why the programme and good communication matter so much.
Site Visitors
| Visitor | What they check |
|---|---|
| Building control inspector (local authority or registered approved inspector) | That the work complies with the Building Regulations, including Part P electrical work where it has not been self-certified through a competent person scheme |
| Water inspector (from the water supplier) | That plumbing and water fittings comply with the water fittings regulations, for example backflow prevention |
| HSE inspector | Compliance with health and safety law; they can investigate accidents and serve improvement or prohibition notices |
| Electrical services inspector | The electrical work itself, for example an assessor from a certification body or competent person scheme, or an inspector acting for the client |
All visitors must sign in, receive a site induction, wear the required PPE and normally be escorted. Treat them courteously, answer their questions accurately within your knowledge, and refer anything you cannot answer to your supervisor.
The Client and the Principal Contractor
The client commissions and pays for the project. Under CDM 2015 the client appoints a principal designer and a principal contractor on projects with more than one contractor (Section 2.1). The principal contractor plans, manages and coordinates the construction phase, and the electrical contractor usually works for the principal contractor as a sub-contractor.
Tip
Test questions often describe a task and ask which person does it. Remember: the quantity surveyor measures and values, the estimator prices, the buyer orders, the clerk of works inspects for the client, and building control checks the Building Regulations.
Which member of the site management team measures and values the work, including the cost of variations?
Quantity surveyor
Architect
Clerk of works
Buyer
Who prices a job by calculating the cost of materials, labour and plant before a tender or quotation is submitted?
Construction manager
Estimator
Plasterer
Water inspector
Which site visitor checks that building work complies with the Building Regulations?
HSE inspector (Health and Safety Executive)
Water inspector from the water supplier
Building control inspector
Buyer
Why should electrical first fix normally be complete, and buried cables checked, before the plasterer starts?
Plasterers need the permanent lights to work by
It is required by the water fittings regulations
So that the plasterer can sign the Electrical Installation Certificate
Because the plaster will conceal the cables and boxes, making later changes difficult and costly
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.