Total station for construction (3 days)

This three-day course teaches the principles and practices of using the total station for setting out, which can be applied to all aspects of construction including earthworks, roads, buildings, foundations, piles, structural steel, structures, reinforced concrete, houses.

This course is a companion to the 2-day Levelling and setting out course.

Who should attend

• Trainee engineers
• Graduate engineers
• Construction managers
• Site managers who would like to be able to supervise, recruit for, check or carry out setting out activities
• People with previous experience of setting out but have been working in a different role for some time and would like to return to setting out
• Overseas site engineers and construction managers who are seeking employment in the UK but do not have setting out experience due to differing division of responsibilities in the country where they trained.

Course content

This course teaches the principles of setting out using a total station, which can be applied to all aspects of construction including earthworks, roads, buildings, foundations, piles, structural steel, structures, reinforced concrete, houses.

The equipment used for the training is the Leica TS06, but the lessons can be applied to any total station.

Real construction drawings are used for all practical exercises. 

By the end of the course, delegates will be able to:

• Set up profile boards for drainage
• Set up batter rails for cut and fill
• Set up the total station over a point
• Carry out the relevant calibration checks (horizontal and vertical collimation error, trunnion axis, prism constant, optical/laser plummet, diaphragm orientation)
• List the sources of error when using a total station
• Use techniques for improving and checking your accuracy and precision
• View, edit, add and delete data
• Create a local coordinate system for a building on gridlines
• Use the total station for measuring and setting out reduced levels
• Describe a range of methods for plumbing columns and walls
• Set-up the position and orientation of the total station using the resection or occupied point programs
• Measure the horizontal distance and level differences between points using the tie-distance function
• Set out points of known co-ordinates using the stake out function
• Set out points in relation to a given line using the reference line function
• Set out points at a given chainage and offset along a radius, e.g. road centrelines using the reference arc function
• Understand the operating principles of theodolites/total stations
• Set jobs into the total station and input work data
• Set out points for drainage
• Carry out independent checking of setting out
• Carry out ‘as set out’ surveys
• Understand prism constants and how they impact upon accuracies.

Qualifications you get

• CITB National Construction College Certificate.