Currently, major earthworks are being undertaken along the Nairobi Expressway between the JKIA turnoff section and City Cabanas. Earthworks are engineering works created through the processing of the earth’s surface involving quantities of soil or unformed rock. As one drives towards the City Cabanas footbridge right next to the airport, you will notice the raised compacted soil material which can be referred to as an embankment. This is done to avoid a change in level required by the terrain.
The quantities of material used in these works are observably high in volume and therefore, delivering the material to the site is a laborious task. The number of trucks delivering material to the site on a busy period can be timed almost 5 to 6 minutes apart. This requires plenty of coordination.
Observing the pattern of construction works on site at the Nairobi expressway reminds one of how the millipede moves: a well segmented body with each segment carrying two pairs of legs. Movement cannot happen except in a flawless wavelike motion propelling the body forward. Unless the energy transmitted from the rear side of the body arrives very systematically to the front side, there is no movement. Truly, even in the world of road construction the whole can only be understood through knowledge of its parts and the parts, as products of the division of the whole, can be understood only through knowledge of the whole. One key person that exemplifies this statement at any construction site is the foreman.
According to “Youth in Construction”, an initiative by the SA Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC), the foreman is a first-line supervisory position. A Foreman has extensive knowledge of the trade and the work involved, along with an ability to resolve problems with appropriate and timely decisions. A Foreman reports directly to a General Foreman or Site Agent. Anyone in and around the world of construction can tell you that a foreman can make or break the chances of success of any project.
A Foreman must have a technical qualification, good written and verbal communication skills, negotiation skills, knowledge of civil engineering construction processes, plant and equipment, production control, safety, material control, read and interpret drawings among other things. Of course, the only way to determine a good foreman like any other job is by looking at the track record. The images captured in this article are a humble tribute to the work done by foremen.
