Massachusetts Pre-Apprenticeship and Vocational School Training Program
Lesson Plan : Collaboration of Laborers Union and Electrical Skills to complete a Joint Project
Build a concrete pad and install a outdoor rated electrical Polymer Traffic Control Box Base on the pad and Traffic Control Box on top of Polymer base. Note: Pre-wiring conduit and conductors previously installed up to concrete pad location.
Related Safety Practices for Concrete and Electrical Projects
Lesson Plan Day 1
Personal Protective Equipment
Eye protection, Hearing Protection, Gloves, Hard Hat, Highly Visible Vest or Highly Visible Shirt, Approved Face mask.
Safety Procedures
Check out all equipment - Compressor(Oil, Gas or Diesel, Engine Oil, Coolant, Check Preventative Maintenance Schedule for other items to check on a regular basis. Pneumatic Manifolds and Hoses blown out, Lubrication of Jackhammers, Chop Saw (Electric Cord, Guards, Wheels, Vice.), Water Hoses for keeping dust down for Silica safety. Masking if necessary.
Authority Having Jurisdiction and Dig Safe
Students will review the proper steps of acquiring a permit or permits (building and Electrical) from the local authorities having jurisdiction. Both a Building permit and Electrical permit will need to be filled out and approved prior to any work being done. These permits can be obtained online or in person at the local city or town hall. Both building and electrical permits must be inspected and approved prior to any work being done.
Dig Safe must be called and they will send a representative to make sure where all underground electrical, communications, plumbing, gas, and anything else that may be in the ground where the work is to be done to avoid a potential catastrophe. Dig Safe # is 811. digsafe.com has the information you can review to be sure all rules are followed
Lesson Plan Day 2
Students will learn basic concrete calculations.
Concrete calculations
Area= (LxW) Example:
Yards= (LxWxH) Div by 27
Tons= (LxW/ Div By 9/ X H/X.056)
Line and Grade (BM+BS=HI-FS=ELEV)
Slope (Find the difference in elevation.
Divide that into the run=% of slope.
LXWXH, 15’x8’x4” / 27
15’
8’
4”
Students will learn the Inches and Fraction of Inches breakdown for Calculations on Prior Slide, and do the example from previous slide.
Inches multipliers: 1”=.08, 2”=.17, 3”=.25, 4”=.33, 5”=.42, 6”=.50, 7”=.58, 8”=.67, 9”=.75, 10”=.83,11”=.92, 12”=1.0.
Fraction of Inches Multipliers: ⅛”=.01, ¼”=.02, ⅜”=.03, ½”=.04, ⅝”=.05, ¾”=.06, ⅞”=.07, 8/8 of 1”=.08.
Example from previous slide: Length x Width x Height / 27 =Yards of concrete to be ordered plus ½ yard extra.
15’ x 8’ x 4”= Note: (substitute 4” for .33) 15 x 8 x .33=39.6/27=1.46 yards plus ½ or.50, total yards to be ordered or hand mixed is 1.46 + .50= 1.96 yards.
After students do example problem on their own, they will compare answers.
Students will learn basic concrete terms
Concrete Form or Forms- Temporary or permanent mold that holds wet concrete in place while it hardens into a desired structure. Can be made from wood, steel, plastic, or fiberglass. The inside of the form may be coated with a bond breaker to prevent concrete from sticking to the form material.
Rebar- A steel reinforcing rod in concrete, “A piece of rebar.
Mag Float 16” small- A hand tool made of magnesium that's used to smooth and level concrete during the finishing process.
Bull Float-A hand tool used to give concrete its final finish. Has a long handle and a wide flat surface made of magnesium and angles each way by turning the handle for either push or pull.
Basic Concrete terms continued.
Concrete Edger- Rectangle blade used to clean up the edges to give a smooth curb appeal.
Concrete Groove- A tool used to cut grooves in concrete surfaces, such as sidewalks, and patios or even simple concrete mounting pads.
Broom Finish- On concrete, is a textured surface created by dragging a horsehair broom or other similar tool over wet concrete. Popular finish for outdoor concrete sidewalks, concrete mounting pads, concrete stairs, and other such concrete structures.
Students will build a form and calculate concrete order and manage the pour. First they will learn Terms and Calculations for accurate an concrete pour.
Lesson Plan Day 3. Students will order and manage the pouring of the concrete delivery.
Students will finish the concrete with joints, edges and broom finish.
After pad is poured and finished students will call building inspector for a final Building Inspection.
A final building inspection of the concrete pad must be done prior to installing anything on the new pad.
At this time students will be given a test to see what they have retained during their collaborating project.
Students will grade each others test. Then return to each students test back to them.
Instructor will go over the test and have a class discussion on the different aspects of the project.
Building Inspector final inspection of concrete pad.
Students will mount electrical traffic control box concrete polymer base for the electrical traffic control box to be mounted on.
Video on Mounting Polymer base to a concrete pad.
Lesson Plan Day 4. Students will mount Traffic Control Box Polymer base to new pad using concrete anchors that need to be drilled with a hammer drill. Then attach to the concrete pad with the bolts provided.
Put pic of base here.
Electrical and communications wiring can be either totally concealed underground (as in a big city environment) or come up the side of the Traffic control box with an expansion joint into the meter socket that meters power used by the local power company.
Students will install traffic control box on top of the polymer base.
Students will now wire the traffic control box with Supervision form the licensed Electricians
Local Power Company must be contacted and a Request for New Service must be approved and inspected by the Local Electrical Inspector.
This is usually an online process and must be approved by the electrical inspector online on the Power Companies web site prior to them sending out someone to install the Meter into the meter socket.
After all wiring and approvals are complete, the Traffic Signal Control box power switch will be off and the disconnect will be turned on. All power is again checked for proper voltage. Now time to test the unit power and do a Traffic Control box setup.
Electrical Inspector is called to do a final Electrical Inspection
Students will make up lesson plan or a sequence of events (step by step of what they learned) as if they were an Instructor. They will compare their lesson plans or sequence of events schedule to improve their individual lesson plans.
The students will brainstorm together and inform the instructors what would make the project better in the future. The instructor will write down all the wonderful ideas from their students and do their best to incorporate the ideas from the students into future lesson plans for continuous improvement.