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A Week in the Life Of…Alistair (Work Experience at Russell WBHO)

I wasn’t sure what to expect prior to commencing my week with Russell WBHO. From a young age, I have been fascinated by buildings and developments, observing the significant transformations in my local area and Manchester city centre. This passion has motivated me to pursue a career in the construction industry and so I was excited to commence my work experience. In the month prior, I had been given a structured daily plan as to where I would be going and who I would be accompanying, which sounded very interesting and varied – and it was.

 

Day 1

On my first day at Russell WBHO I spent my day with the head of health and safety. We went to the Care UK site where I was shown around the different zones of this project. This was really informative as I gained an understanding of how the site was operated in a safe manner. The team ensure that the company meets all relevant regulations to prevent the company doing anything wrong that could cause a person to be injured on site. I also now have a key understanding on how important it is to make sure that the building is up to government regulations, for example we visited rooms which were fire protected for up to an hour in the event of a fire. I also learnt how important it was for workers to wear PPE for example hard hats, gloves, visibility vests etc. and I learnt that all vehicles had to have a green and orange beacon when operating.

Day 2

On my second day at Russell WBHO I spent my day with Megan who is a site manager. I was given a detailed tour around the Mere site. This was really interesting as I could see how the site was progressing and gain an idea of the additional work required before the scheme is completed.  We also looked at a few different structural steel drawings and identified all of the beams and columns which were completed. We then highlighted the completed bits of steel work on a 3D model, making sure that anything missing will be completed, so that the project can be completed on time. I was also shown drawings which documented the different foundation levels via a colour chart.

Day 3

On my third day at Russell WBHO I spent my day with Jamie who is part of the Russell WBHO design team. We firstly visited the Piccadilly Warehouse site where I was given a tour of the building. We looked around the site with a detailed proposed GA plan seeing how the building is going to look once completed. This was very interesting as work had not started on the building, so I could see everything which needed to be completed by the scheduled date. We also looked at autodesk construction on the laptop where you could see different sections and floors of the building. Next we looked at how protecting the heritage of a building comes into the planning process. This is evident as this building is Grade 2 listed meaning that the slate currently on the roof will need to be re-used on the new roof. Finally we visited the Trafford Palazzo where we looked at where insulation and AOV’s will be fitted to help improve heat loss during colder months.

Day 4

On my fourth day at Russell WBHO I spent my day with Emma and Isabelle who work in the Quantity Surveying team. We firstly visited the Trafford 150 project where I was shown around the site, as well as being given a detailed overview of the numerous packages which have been needed to complete this project. This site will need 56 orders of different packages in total to enable it to be completed by the end of the year. Emma outlined the purchasing/design strategy for a number of orders and explained how this impacted the project.  Next I filled out a CSA; this stands for a ‘contract sum analysis’. This detailed the budget for different road markings. This included disabled bays, electric car bays, HGV bays etc. Finally I did a record mark up of which steel columns had a base or a top coat to value the sub-contractor account. We did this by using a key with 2 highlighter colours, with one colour meaning that it had been completed and a different colour meaning that it was incomplete.

Day 5

On my fifth day at Russell WBHO I spent the day with Tom who works in the site engineering department. We were based at the Trafford 150 site, and we used 2 different devices. Firstly we used a GPS device to set out where the kerb line sits. This gave us the coordinates for each point we had to set out. We then used marking paint to mark a line out for the pavement which is going to be installed. Secondly Tom taught me how to use total station which is more accurate than a GPS. Firstly we set up the device, we did this by levelling the machine and shooting two known points. I was taught today that the setting out is very important when using a total station to make sure results are more accurate.

  • Date:
    17th Jul 2024
  • Category:

Day 1 - On Care UK with Stephen (left) and Alistair (right)

Day 2 - At The Mere with Megan (left) and Alistair (right)

Day 3 - On site at Piccadilly Warehouse. Alistair (left) and Jamie (right)

Day 4 - Hard at work in the site cabin at Trafford 150

Day 5 - Alistair (left) with Tom (right) at Trafford 150

I have enjoyed all five days spent with Russell WBHO as each day was different and every person I met provided me with so much knowledge. This week has further driven my desire to gain a broad range of experience within Russell WBHO whilst completing a degree apprenticeship.

My first day with Darren was a real eye opener as he taught me so much useful important information regarding health and safety. If I had to pinpoint the most enjoyable aspect it would be the fact that the week was so varied having visited numerous very different sites and spending time with several different employees. The highlight of the week was visiting the Trafford Palazzo site with Jamie as I never thought I would be standing on the roof of the Trafford centre. For me learning how AOV’s and insulation needed to be fitted was particularly interesting because this is how the Trafford Centre will keep warm in the colder months.

I have met numerous people during my week, including several apprentices, everyone was hugely helpful and informative, which made the week really enjoyable. I am really grateful to everyone who looked after me and for giving me this work experience opportunity. I appreciate that everyone took time out of their working day to share their knowledge of a particular area. I found Tom the most interesting character because we shared similar interests and he taught me how to use a total station.

Thank you for offering me this work placement opportunity, I really hope I can return to work for such an amazing organization, working alongside such helpful professionals, while studying at Salford University!