Modern Construction Techniques can bridge Housing Gap

Biodun Odeleye

A professor of Civil Engineering, Danladi Slim Matawal has advocated the adoption of technologies and materials that reflect the concepts of ’Modern Methods of Construction  (MMC), which encapsulates the cost reduction in construction to bridge the housing gaps in Nigeria.

According to him, this could be achieved by taking advantage of the speed of construction and sustainable materials in construction process. Matawal’s position was contained in a paper titled: “Reducing Housing Cost Through Modern Techniques and Construction Materials”, and delivered at the 5th NIESV National Housing Summit, 2016 with Theme ‘’10,000 Housing Units in Each State of the Federation: Issues and prospects’,’ held at Port Harcourt, River State.
 
According to him, it is important that the Nigerian construction industry shift from the entirety of traditional building to embracing modern ways of building which is focused on building more in lesser time more efficiently if we want to improve the existing housing stock in Nigeria.

ELECTRICITY AUDIT FOR HOMES AND WORK PLACE - A SAFETY MEASURE

To get the best out of your electricity supply in your home or workplace, these processes must be inspected, analyzed and surveyed to reaffirm that your electrical system is still in consonance with necessary requirements and best practices. This process of reaffirmation is what is technically called Electrical Audit (EA) or Electrical System Audit (ESA).

What this helps you do is detect and help you carry out predictive maintenance, which will help determine the actual state of your electrical system.
Unfortunately a lot of people ignore or are altogether unaware of the importance of this process, this process is cery important.

WHAT CAUSES FOUNDATIONS AND SLABS TO SINK? SPOTTING AND REPAIRS OF SINKING FOUNDATION

SINKING FOUNDATION 

Foundation settlement and movement can be caused by building on expansive clay, compressible or improperly compacted fill soils, or improper maintenance around foundations.

Find out the warning signs of foundation/slab failure.

Whatever the cause, settlement can destroy the value of structures and even render them unsafe.

In any case, water is the basic culprit in the vast majority of expansive soil problems. Specific constituents of certain soils tend to swell or shrink with variations in moisture. The extent of this movement varies from soil to soil.

Quantity Surveyors Back FG on Loan For Infrastructure Projects

President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mrs. Mercy Iyortyer

With building and construction industry being one of the hardest-hit by the recession, quantity surveyors said the move by the federal government to secure loan for infrastructure projects would help revive the construction industry.

The President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mrs. Mercy Iyortyer who spoke at ajob fair organised by the institute in Abuja, urged the government to engage professionals as part of prudent management of projects.

UK Partners C-Stemp on Manpower Training in Construction Industry

To address the severe shortage of skilled manpower within the construction industry, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) has entered into partnership with an Abuja-based firm Construction Skills Training and Employment Services (C-STEMPS) to train artisans.

DFID’s Communications Adviser, Halimat Alawiye told journalists in Abuja that the organisation has secured the approval and recognition by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as pioneer training provider under the National Vocational Qualification Framework.

Engineers Blame Weak Legislation for Dilapidated Roads

President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Otis Anyaeji.

Push for sound engineering education

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has blamed the rising number of dilapidated roads on absence of legislation to enforce reforms in the sector.

NSE President, Otis Anyaeji, who disclosed this in Abuja while hosting legislators who are also engineers in Abuja, explained that the society has six legislations that can bridge the infrastructural deficit in a short period if approved by the National Assembly.

According to him: “The slow pace of introducing road reforms is holding the sector down. There are six laws – the metallurgical industry, iron and steel development, the road sector reform and the water resources industry bill before the National Assembly, all waiting to be passed.


The society believes that if these laws are passed, their implementation will bridge the infrastructure deficit Nigeria is currently experiencing.”
Although the last National Assembly has passed the metallurgical industry law, Anyaeji said it lacks the ability to attract large-scale industrialisation, hence the need for the lawmakers to consider the new request by the NSE.

Engineers urged to utilise expertise in nation building

General Secretary, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Apapa branch, Sunny Ejeje (left); Principal, Federal Nigerian Society for the Blind, Oshodi, Sola Ogunsiji; Administrator, Ivy Bassey; Chairman, NSE, Apapa branch, Ola Taiwo; Chairman, Garba Ombugadu and Immediate Past Chairman, Ibrahim Aledu at the event.

Professional engineers have been advised to put their professional expertise into use in the development of the nation.Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Apapa Branch, Ombugadu Garba made the appeal at the inauguration of the 7th Chairman of the Branch held at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos.

Garba, who was newly installed as the seventh chairman of the branch, said the country is in dire need of economic recovery and overcoming its current security challenges.

He challenged upcoming engineers to be creative and visionary, adding that the era of looking for white-collar jobs is becoming very difficult by the day.

WHAT IS AN ACCIDENT?

Accidents are unplanned.

An accident is the final event in an unplanned process that results in injury(ies) to any vulnerable individual and possibly property damage (s). It is the final result or effect of a number of surface and root causes.

An "event," occurs when one "actor" (one person/thing) performs an "action" (does something).A person or thing (equipment, tools, materials, etc.) will do something that results in a change of state. An accident may be the result of many factors (simultaneous, interconnected, cross-linked events) that have interacted in some dynamic way.

 Accidents and Incidents

Workplace accidents are part of a broad group of events or occurrences leading to a physical or psychological injury. Workplace incidents adversely affect the completion of a task but do not result in an employee's injury(ies). 

 The Common sense excuse for accidents infers the employee is "the problem." To prevent accidents, an employee must work more safely. Thinking that accidents are due to a lack of common sense which results in short-term fixes that are inefficient, ineffective, and in the long run more expensive to implement and maintain.

CAUSES OF CRACKS WHEN LAYING BLOCKS AND HOW TO AVOID IT

Laying blocks without cracking requires some basic steps to watch out for. If you are careless the probability of having cracked walls will be high.

These amongst others are the causes and how to avoid them:

Wrong block moulding mixture-Cement and sand mixture for sand needs to be properly checked which is usually between 1:6 to 1:8 depends on types of constituents.
Very good mixture for a 9” block will produce 30 pieces worst, it should not exceed 50 on any account.