METHOD OF STATEMENT

CONCRETE WORKS (FOUNDATION)

Contents
1.0 Scope & Objective...............................................................................................3
2.0 References...........................................................................................................3
3.0 Responsibilities...................................................................................................4
3.1 Construction Manager/Project Manager.......................................................4
3.2 Site Engineer....................................................................................................4
3.3 Site Supervisor/Foreman.................................................................................4
3.4 Surveyor...........................................................................................................4
3.5 Safety/Environmental Officer.........................................................................4
4.0 Machinery and Equipment.................................................................................5
5.0 Procedure............................................................................................................5
5.1 Drawing Approval............................................................................................5
6.0 Preparation of Works.........................................................................................6
7.0 Surveying.............................................................................................................6
8.0 Excavation...........................................................................................................6
9.0 Steel Reinforcement (Rebar works)...................................................................7
10.0 Formwork (Shuttering & Shoring)....................................................................7
11.0 Concrete............................................................................................................8
11.1 Batching, Mixing, Transporting, and Handling Concrete.............................8
11.2 Placing and Finishing Concrete.....................................................................9
11.3 Removing Formwork...................................................................................12
11.4 Patching, Cleaning and Finishing................................................................13
11.5 Curing Concrete...........................................................................................13
12.0 Health, Safety and Environmental Control....................................................14
1.0 Scope & Objective
This method of statement is made to enumerate the work activities related to the formwork,
rebar work and concrete work for and also to ensure the safe execution of all activities in
accordance with the requirements of the CLIENT/COMPANY.

The works will incorporate the following items:

 Preparing of work
 Surveying and Setting out
 Excavation
 Dewatering
 Blinding concrete
 Concrete components
 Concrete mixing
 Concrete testing
 Concrete curing
 Formwork for foundation elements
 Formwork for skeleton elements
 Work sequence for all elements

2.0 References
The latest version of the Clients Project Specifications shall be the reference and shall be the
part of this method of statement during work execution.

 Client specifications for concrete works

 ACI 117 – Standard Specifications for Concrete Construction and Materials
 ACI 301 – Specifications for Structural Concrete for Buildings
 ACI 304R – Guide for Measuring, Mixing, Transporting and Placing Concrete
  ACI 308 – Standard Practice for Curing Concrete
 ACI 347R – Guide to Formwork for Concrete
 ASTM C39 – Compressive Strength for Cylindrical Concrete Specimens

3.0 Responsibilities
3.1 Construction Manager/Project Manager
Responsible for the implementation of construction procedure and method of statement, the
quality of work, supervise the work and reporting on the overall progress of work.

3.2 Site Engineer

The site engineer has the overall responsibilities for the implementation of works as per
approved drawings. He shall arrange the manpower, equipment and materials required for the
implementation of the work, coordinate with the HSE Officer, tasks in accordance with the
method of statement.

3.3 Site Supervisor/Foreman

The Site Supervisor/Foreman is in-charge for the implementation of the work activities as per
approved drawings. Also, is responsible for the closing out of all PTW’s (Purpose Permit to
Work).

3.4 Surveyor
The Surveyor is responsible for staking out the locations/boundaries, elevations, alignments
and other related activities.

3.5 Safety/Environmental Officer

Responsible in ensuring all activities are carried out safely. He will be responsible to patrol at
the site, establish the site safety plan, conducting continuous safety inspection and stop any
work deemed unsafe and a risk to person.
4.0 Machinery and Equipment
 All machinery and equipment being mobilized onsite shall be certified and in good and
running conditions and have PWAS. They shall be double checked and inspected by
contractor prior to use. Equipment operators and drivers shall have current Guyanese
licenses and valid certificate to run equipment. All heavy machinery and equipment are
to be fitted with PWAS
 Tools and equipment for formwork are to include:
Measuring tapes/rulers, hammers, spirit levels, squares, nail bags, hand saws, string
lines, shovels, pinch bars, power saws, power drills, nail guns etc.
 Tools and equipment for rebar work are to include:
Portable rebar cutter, bolt cutter, wire nipper, tie wire reels, measuring tapes,
reinforcement benders and general hand and power tools, etc.
 Tools and equipment for concrete work are to include:
Concrete cube/cylinders, truck mixers, mobile pumps, measuring tape, hammers, levels,
shovels, marking equipment, wheel barrows, trowels, vibrators, etc.

5.0 Procedure

5.1 Drawing Approval

1. All drawings for the element to be executed shall be approved in advance to the
proceeding of that element preparation and casting procedures.
2. Drawings shall be submitted on sufficient time to allow Engineer to
check/comment/approve the drawings to be ready before the start of the activity
onsite.
6.0 Preparation of Works
1. Foundation works will not commence until confirmation that all pre-construction
planning and safety checks are completed
2. The supervisor shall be familiar with the latest construction drawings and method of
statements.
3. Plant and equipment requirements will be assessed on a case-by-case basis for each
foundation location and agreed with the construction manager prior to the start of
works

7.0 Surveying
Before work starts, surveyors will establish baseline baselines and benchmarks for which co-
ordinates and elevations will be taken to set out the foundation works.

8.0 Excavation
1. Excavations will generally be executed in open cut to size, slope and elevation shown on
the construction drawings and/or design calculations.
2. Survey will verify set out and check the edge slope and bottom founding level of
excavation.
3. Excavation will be carried out with excavator and the excavated material loaded directly
into dump truck and transported to the temporary stockpile area.
4. A small bucket or manual digging will be used in small confined areas.
5. The bottom foundation level will be inspected by the Engineer and compacted as per
design requirements before pouring blinding concrete.
6. Excavation shall follow the excavation sequence based on the site availability
9.0 Steel Reinforcement (Rebar works)
1. Rebars will be cut and bent on site in line with the agreed construction sequence.
2. Installation of rebars will begin as soon as blinding concrete has hardened enough for
trafficking (normally 12 hours).
3. A mobile truck crane and/or manual workers will be used for manual installation.
4. Rebar placement sequence will follow the latest construction drawings.
5. Suitable concrete spacers will be used to achieve the desired covers and additional
rebars will be installed to maintain support of top steel and ant cast-in items.
6. All column starter bars and cast-in anchor bolts will be accurately located and securely
fixed in the correct position.
7. Location, spacing, verticality and cover shall be checked during the installation process
and the Engineer will make a final inspection prior to calling up for concrete.

10.0 Formwork (Shuttering & Shoring)

1. Formwork shall be conforming to shape, lines grade and dimensions indicated on the
latest revision of construction drawings.
2. Forming shall include the forming of all opening, pockets, embedded item sleeves,
angles, bolts and other accessories.
3. All formworks materials shall be water tight, made out of sound approved materials and
properly braced, strutted and shored during construction.
4. Formworks shall be cleaned and free from any hazard and temporary openings to be
provided where necessary to drain away water and rubbish.
5. All formworks shall be rigidly constructed and sufficentl tight to prevent any leakage of
grout or mortar.
6. Before lacing the concrete, all debris shall be removed from inside the forms, internal
faces of formworks shall be coated with suitable oil release agent to prevent adhesion of
the concrete, providing that the preparations shall not stain finished concrete surface
and not be in-contact with the reinforcement steel.
 7. Formworks shall be inspected and approved by Client/Company before casting
concrete.

11.0 Concrete
11.1 Batching, Mixing, Transporting, and Handling Concrete
Mixing

Batching activities will be done offsite the construction site. All concrete will be mixed
thoroughly until it is uniform in appearance, with all ingredients evenly distributed. Mixers
should not be loaded above their rated capacities and should be operated at the mixing speed
recommended by the manufacturer.

When truck mixers are used, ASTM C 94 (AASHTOM 157) also limits the time between batching
and complete discharge of the concrete at the job site; this time is 11/2 hours or before the
drum has revolved 300 times after introduction of water to the cement and aggregates or the
cement to the aggregates. Mixers and agitators should always be operated within the limits for
volume and speed of rotation designated by the equipment manufacturer.

Handling

Concrete that is kept agitated generally can be placed and compacted within 1 1/2 hours after
mixing unless hot concrete temperatures or high cement contents speed up hydration
excessively. CONTRACTOR should eliminate or minimize any variables that would allow the
concrete to stiffen to the extent that full consolidation is not achieved and finishing becomes
difficult.

The method and equipment to be used to transport and handle the concrete must not result in
segregation of the concrete materials.

The largest volumes of concrete are below or at ground level and therefore can be placed by
methods different from those employed on the superstructure. A crane or excavator can be
used to handle formwork, reinforcing steel, and concrete. However, the crane or excavator may
be fully employed erecting formwork and reinforcing steel in advance of the concrete, and
other methods of handling the concrete may have to be used to place the largest volume in the
least time. Possibly the concrete can be chuted directly from the truck mixer to the point
needed. Chutes should be metal, or metal lined. They must not slope greater than 1 vertical to
2 horizontal or less than 1 vertical to 3 horizontal. Long chutes, over 6 meters (20 ft), or those
not meeting slope standards must discharge into a hopper before distribution to point of need.

Alternatively, a concrete pump can move the concrete to its final position. Pumps must be of
adequate capacity and capable of moving concrete without segregation. No-one but the
authorized pump operator should operate or move the pump or its placement boom.

Good communication between operator and placement gang is essential so that the pump can
be stopped without delay. The loss of slump caused by pressure that forces mix water into the
aggregates as the mix travels from pump hopper to discharge at the end of the pipeline must
be minimal—not greater than 50 mm (2 in).

The air content generally should not be reduced by more than 2 percentage points during
pumping. In view of this, specifications for both slump and air content should be met at the
discharge end of the pump.

11.2 Placing and Finishing Concrete

Surface preparation

Preparation prior to placing concrete includes compacting, trimming, and moistening the
subgrade, erecting the forms; and setting the reinforcing steel and other embedded items
securely in place. Moistening the subgrade is important, especially in hot, dry weather to keep
the dry subgrade from drawing too much water from the concrete; it also increases the
immediate air-moisture level thereby decreasing the amount of evaporation from the concrete
surface. The strength or bearing capacity of the subgrade should be adequate to support
anticipated structural loads.
Recently placed concrete requiring an overlay is usually roughened shortly after hardening to
produce a better bond with the next placement. As long as no laitance (a weak layer of
concrete), dirt, or loose particles are present, newly hardened concrete requires little
preparation prior to placing freshly mixed concrete on it. When in service for a period of time,
old hardened concrete will require mechanical cleaning and roughening prior to placement of
new concrete. Forms should be accurately set, clean, tight, adequately braced, and constructed
of or lined with materials that will impart the desired off-the-form finish to the hardened
concrete. Wood forms, unless oiled or otherwise treated with a form-release agent, should be
moistened before placing concrete, otherwise they will absorb water from the concrete and
swell. Forms should be made for removal with minimum damage to the concrete. With wood
forms, use of too large or too many nails should be avoided to facilitate removal and reduce
damage. Reinforcing steel should be clean and free of loose rust or mill scale when concrete is
placed. All equipment used to place concrete must be clean and in good working condition.
Standby equipment should be available in the event of a breakdown.

Concrete Placing

Prior to pouring concrete quality checks will be taken in accordance to requirements,

subcontractor will identify and prepare the mixers access to the discharge area and placing
platforms for the personnel according the HSE standards.

Concrete should be deposited continuously as near as possible to its final position without
objectionable. In slab construction, placing should be started along the perimeter at one end of
the work with each batch discharged against previously placed concrete. The concrete should
not be dumped in separate piles and then leveled and worked together; nor should the
concrete be deposited in large piles and moved horizontally into final position. Such practices
result in segregation because mortar tends to flow ahead of the coarser material. In general,
concrete should be placed in walls, thick slabs, or foundations in horizontal layers of uniform
thickness; each layer should be thoroughly consolidated before the next is placed. The rate of
placement should be rapid enough so that previously placed concrete has not yet set when the
next layer of concrete is placed upon it. Timely placement and adequate consolidation will
prevent flow lines, seams, and planes of weakness (cold joints) that result from placing freshly
mixed concrete on concrete past initial set.

To avoid segregation, concrete should not be moved horizontally over too long a distance as it
is being placed in forms or slabs. Where standing water is present, concrete should be placed in
a manner that displaces the water ahead of the concrete but does not allow water to be mixed
in with the concrete; to do so will reduce the quality of the concrete. In all cases, water should
be prevented from collecting at the ends, in comers, and along faces of forms.

Consolidation

Consolidation will be accomplished by mechanical methods. The method chosen will depends
on the consistency of the mixture and the placing conditions, such as complexity of the
formwork and amount and spacing of reinforcement. Whenever possible, the internal vibrator
should be lowered vertically into the concrete at regularly spaced intervals and allowed to
descend by gravity. It should penetrate to the bottom of the layer being placed and at least 150
mm (6 in.) into any previously placed layer. The height of each layer or lift should be about the
length of the vibrator head or generally a maximum of 500 mm (20 in.) in regular formwork.
The distance between insertions should be about 1 1/2 times the radius of action so that the
area visibly affected by the vibrator overlaps the adjacent previously vibrated area by a few
centimeters (inches). Allowing a vibrator to remain immersed in concrete after paste
accumulates over the head is bad practice and can result in non-uniformity. The length of time
that a vibrator should be left in the concrete will depend on the workability of the concrete, the
power of the vibrator, and the nature of the section being consolidated. Special attention will
be taken to avoid the defects caused by under vibration such as: honeycomb; excessive amount
of entrapped air voids, often called bug holes; sand streaks; cold joints; placement lines; and
subsidence cracking.

Placing on hardened concrete

Construction joints are stopping places in the process of construction. A true construction joint
should bond new concrete to existing concrete and permit no movement. All newly placed and
finished concrete slabs should be cured and protected from drying, from extreme changes in
temperature, and from damage by subsequent construction. Curing is needed to ensure
continued hydration of the cement, strength gain of the concrete, and a minimum of early
drying shrinkage. Special precautions are necessary when concrete work continues during
periods of adverse weather. Hot-weather work may require special precautions against rapid
evaporation and drying and high temperatures.

When freshly mixed concrete is placed in contact with existing hardened concrete, a high
quality bond and watertight joint are required. Poorly bonded construction joints are usually
the result of (1) lack of bond between old and new concrete, or (2) a weak porous layer in the
hardened concrete at the joint. The quality of a bonded joint therefore depends on the quality
of the hardened concrete and preparation of its surface. When freshly mixed concrete is placed
on recently hardened concrete, certain precautions must be taken to secure a well-bonded,
watertight joint. The hardened concrete must be clean, sound, and reasonably rough with some
coarse aggregate particles exposed. Any laitance, soft mortar, dirt, wood chips, form oil, or
other foreign materials must be removed since they could interfere with proper bonding of the
subsequent placement. The surface of old concrete upon which fresh concrete is to be placed
must be thoroughly roughened and cleaned of all dust, surface films, deposits, loose particles,
grease, oil, and other foreign material.

11.3 Removing Formwork

In any case, shoring should not be removed until the concrete is strong enough to satisfactorily
carry the stresses from both the dead load of the structure and any imposed construction
loads. The concrete should be hard enough so that the surfaces will not be injured in any way
when reasonable care is used in removing forms. In general, for concrete temperatures above
10°C (50°F), the side forms of reasonably thick, supported sections can be removed 24 hours
after concreting.

Beam and floor slab forms and supports (shoring) may be removed between 3 and 21 days,
depending on the size of the member and the strength gain of the concrete. For most
conditions, it is better to rely on the strength of the concrete as determined by in situ or field-
cured specimen testing rather than arbitrarily selecting an age at which forms may be removed.

The age-strength relationship should be determined from representative samples of concrete

used in the structure and field-cured under job conditions. It should be remembered, however,
that strengths are affected by the materials used, temperature, and other conditions. Stripping
should be started some distance away from and move toward a projection. This relieves
pressure against projecting corners and reduces the chance of edges breaking off.

11.4 Patching, Cleaning and Finishing

After forms are removed, all bulges, fins, and small projections will be removed by chipping or
tooling. Undesired bolts, nails, ties, or other embedded metal can be removed or cut back to a
depth of 13 mm (1/2 in.) from the concrete surface.

When required, the surface will be rubbed or ground to provide a uniform appearance. Any
cavities such as tie rod holes should be filled unless they are intended for decorative purposes.
Honeycombed areas must be repaired, and stains removed to present a concrete surface that is
uniform in color. All of these operations can be minimized by exercising care in constructing the
formwork and placing the concrete. In general, repairs are easier to make and more successful
if they are made as soon as practical, preferably as soon as the forms are removed.

11.5 Curing Concrete

Contractor will perform concrete curing activities to maintenance the moisture content and
temperature in concrete for a period of time immediately following placing and finishing so that
the desired properties may develop. Curing has a strong influence on the properties of
hardened concrete; proper curing will increase durability, strength, water tightness, abrasion
resistance and volume stability. With proper curing, concrete becomes stronger, more
impermeable, and more resistant to stress, abrasion, and freezing and thawing. The
improvement is rapid at early ages but continues more slowly thereafter for an indefinite
period.
Concrete shall be cured by means of spraying a concrete curing compound and allow to dry
without any disturbances.

For large surfaces areas concrete can be cured by means of flooding with water over the entire
area, the water would be retained by forming a small bund with sand at the perimeter of the
foundation.

12.0 Health, Safety and Environmental Control

1. Approved safety plan shall be strictly followed.
2. All laborers shall be using adequate safety tools as per safety plan.
3. Men working inside excavated areas shall be protected against earth slides by having
suitable safety slopes.
4. Fencing, guards, lights, warning signs, shall be used when and where necessary for the
protection of workers and for the safety of and convenience of the public.
5. All necessary emergency procedure shall be complied with.
6. All equipment shall be provided with safety items.
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE PILES
PRESTRESSED CONCRETE
SLABS
ACCESS TO SITE