My role
I started on the headworks during excavation, supervising the work and preparing daily progress reports, and I still do both. As the structures went up, my work grew to cover setting out each element to the consultant's design, supervising reinforcement and concreting, and keeping the measurement records that billing depends on.
Much of the job is coordination. I work with surveyors on layout, with the QA/QC team on quality checks, and with the client and consultant whenever site conditions call for a change. I also support the site in-charge in planning the work so crews and equipment aren't left waiting.
Structures we built
HeadworksSimplified plan of a run-of-river headworks showing the structures I've worked on. Schematic and not to scale; it is not the project's actual layout.
Undersluice
Low-level bays beside the intake that flush bed sediment past the weir, keeping the intake approach clear.
Radial gates
Curved steel gates that control flow through the undersluice bays and open fully for flushing and floods.
Intake & gates
Draws the design discharge from the river into the waterway; its gates regulate or shut off the flow.
Gravel trap
A basin just downstream of the intake where coarse gravel settles out before water moves on.
Flushing culverts
Carry the trapped gravel from the gravel trap back to the river downstream of the weir.
What I do on site
Day to daySupervision
Directly supervise the works from excavation onward, including bar bending and bar cutting, and support the site in-charge in running the works efficiently.
Layout & quality
Set out structures to the consultant's design drawings with the surveyors, and coordinate with QA/QC so each pour meets the specification.
Coordination
Consult the client and consultant on changes driven by site conditions, and keep the contractor's crews working to the agreed plan.
Reporting
Prepare daily progress reports (DPRs), weekly reports and weekly presentations, and assist with monthly reports.
Measurement & billing
Prepare measurement sheets and field joint measurement sheets, and assist with quantity calculation and billing.
Records
Maintain records of all works carried out on site.