Reading design drawings.

I remember looking at a scaffolf for SGS on Sheffield Hospital. Me to Foreman theres facade bracing missing on front elevation and why are you not working to SG4:05 guidelines . Reply Ian the scaffolds been up since 1994 SG4:05 when in we built it
 
I know plenty of university students with all their knowledge who can't poor a cup of tee let alone have twenty years scaffolding experiance!!!

That is why we are saying advanced scaffolders should be a minimum of 5 years in the industry (used to be 10!!!):(

Ragscaff
 
hi mate. I agree entirely with the fact that most technical drawings are either impossible to read or simply aren't suitable for task and need an experienced scaffolders knowledge to erect a safe structure that it is as close to the design as practically possible.

The main problem is the fact that a lot of these designs are drawn up by university graduates who have undertaken five or so years worth of civil engineering study. These guys certainly know how to calculate loadings etc, etc but simply don't have the knowledge or many years experience to put theory and practical skills together.

Since TG:20 was introduced, I wonder how many practically experienced scaffs have bern given the opportunity to become in house engineers? Not many.......... If there were, then technical drawings might not be such an obstacle
 
Used to be able to work together. Now who knoiws!!!!!!!!!!:sad2:

Ragscaff
 
hi mate. I agree entirely with the fact that most technical drawings are either impossible to read or simply aren't suitable for task and need an experienced scaffolders knowledge to erect a safe structure that it is as close to the design as practically possible.

The main problem is the fact that a lot of these designs are drawn up by university graduates who have undertaken five or so years worth of civil engineering study. These guys certainly know how to calculate loadings etc, etc but simply don't have the knowledge or many years experience to put theory and practical skills together.

Since TG:20 was introduced, I wonder how many practically experienced scaffs have bern given the opportunity to become in house engineers? Not many.......... If there were, then technical drawings might not be such an obstacle
 
Loooked into getting my qualifications to become a design engineer, basically you need to do 1 day a week at college for 2 years hnc civils this is a basic qualifivation to get into scaffold design , as i understand it you need to sunmit 5 years of work to the recognised body to gain full accrediation. although i stand to be corrected
 
i agree their should be more training to read drawings the best people to do this are the engineers who draw them what is worrying is the young lads coming off thir courses after 6 months who can't read a drawing or use a scale rule to work out load list(engineers take note most scale rules we use dont have a 1:75 scale also dont do what one engineer did and make 1:139 scale just because it fitted the paper then tell me youve printed a comprative scale on the bottom}
 
Design Drawings

Hi All

I have only put up small independents, but been in the game over 25 years, so hopefully know what I am doing by now.

I quite often ask my customers if the job worked okay to the drawing, but dont get too many people saying they cant read them or not working.

I do an Isometric/ 3D view of the scaffold which can help the understanding of the works, but also can be confusing for some jobs.

I thought that the training to advanced level involved erecting scaffolds to a drawing, even though they are relatively simple to the real world. Must admit this is probably in a group so if you are not sure about drawing you follow the rest.

Thanks for the interesting comments.

All the best

Chris Eng:)
 
XxIANxX said:
daz i've come across this before, there are a lot of lads out there that struggle with dsyexlia .
Click to expand...

:worried:Unfortunately I don’t think its dyslexia, its that the poor sod’s ant read and write, we employ them as scaffolders not office workers, and the training will never be able to solve this. They will understand the drawings if explained in more than one way, but you need the patience of a nun, they have managed to get through this far in their life, and they don’t want to admit it.:embarrest:
But a quiet word on the side in private asking if they have any reading problems, may well help. :smile1:
 
I know the drawings are basic, but you get drawings for all the scaffolds on your part 1 and 2 etc.. Should give you an idea of what is going on... but yea, for the more advanced drawings it can be a head **** with some people.
 
The drawings on the basic and advanced courses are a complete piece of pi55to follow,its great when its designed to be erected in a purpose built area,nothing can really go wrong,but when these jobs are discussed over the phone,or by various other ways there is always the possibility of oversights,all boils down to communication between all parties involved,or often the lack of it.Any decent scaff can find a possible problem with a design,but having to send the drawing away to be amended is just lost time and money,i think these designers need to consult the scaffs more for better solutions to all concerned..
 
Makes you laugh really dont it....

The whole point of the 2A and 2B course is to finalise the training of the scaffolder to make him competent. The criteria of the part 2 is/was/should be to be able to read and interpret a design drawing....
Just goes to prove the courses are completly inadequate and are just an attendance course with all or most of the input from the trainers. Ive never known anyone fail a course.

Fare enough there are sometimes problems with learning difficulties...got enough of those on our firm, but 99% of the info is visual.
I go through drawings with the lads if needs be to clarify any details or problems of the build, just as any supervisor/manager should do.

I cant recall a time when a job has worked 100% to the drawing but a decent scaff should be able to provide a work around that is acceptable.
Even had some instances where the designer has said to me 'take a pic of what you did and I will do the drawing to it'...:bigsmile:

IMHO is all about communication but I think there should be more emphasis in the training on working with drawings. Seems just about every topic on here lately is going back to inadequate training standards...time for change me thinks.

Dave
 
Did my advanced @ training 2000 (blackburn...lol)
got given the drawing for the flying shore after 2 mins give it back cos it was wrong and no bay sizes !!
As for reading drawings i have a very good understanding of them for two reasons ,i did tech drawing in school & my dad is a scaffolder and has dome some big jobs over his career so i was looking at them from about 12/13 !!!
 
Last edited:
Drawings like most things in this life come in a lot a different qualities and are only as good as the knowledge of the guy drawing them and the scaffolders experience working to them I would expect an advaced scaffolder to be able to interpret a fairly complex drawing, below this level I always found a "sketch"showing exactly how the job was to be erected helpful some of the best working drawings I have seen have come from supervisors and contract managers but these days that is not allowed unless they have the engineering qualifications are in place
Being an old timer I "think" in imperiel and metric is my second measure language you had to be careful years gone by when your drawings could be metric or imperiel
 
drawings

Not all drawings are good it depends on the designer if he comes from a scaffold back ground then it will be better, but if he is just an engineer well what do you expect. As for scaffs they should learn to reed drawings from your charge hand the same as you learn to scaffold, not from courses. No one ever became a scaff from what you were told at the CITB. And as for that stupid card that is just a plastic with a picture on it. To tell every one that you whent to school it dose not make you a scaff. The only way to do that is by doing the job, and working with some one who can pass on the trade. And I mean working with tube and fitting not system scaffold.
 
engineers drawings are usually the worse , however designer with scaffold experience the drawings are workable
 
pedscaff said:
Not all drawings are good it depends on the designer if he comes from a scaffold back ground then it will be better, but if he is just an engineer well what do you expect. As for scaffs they should learn to reed drawings from your charge hand the same as you learn to scaffold, not from courses. No one ever became a scaff from what you were told at the CITB. And as for that stupid card that is just a plastic with a picture on it. To tell every one that you whent to school it dose not make you a scaff. The only way to do that is by doing the job, and working with some one who can pass on the trade. And I mean working with tube and fitting not system scaffold.
Click to expand...

Is part of your comment (the bit about school) intended to be a dig at me and my post where I mention about tech drawing ....pal?
 
i know scaffs are not supposed to be the brightest, but reading drawings/ doing drawing jobs is not rocket science... its not very often(in my experience) the drawings are completely correct, but part of being a scaff is to recognise the failings and see if the drawings are still workable or as they say "back to the drawing board"... also, i have had many drawings, where the engineer/designer had not even been to the location before he came up with the drawing.. as they say... looks good on paper..,
 
Red sorry m8 if you though that I had a dig at you, but when I said school I meant the CITB school.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom