ESP For Construction

Construction is a big profession in the world. A large number of people in every country work in
construction field. Pakistan is a main supplier of construction workers for many countries. In
Middle East Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and UAE are the countries where large
numbers of construction workers are from Pakistan. The construction trends in these countries
have changed and more and more new advanced techniques of modern construction are being
used to construct new high rise buildings, lengthy motorways and bridges, gigantic shopping
malls and airports.

For modern construction of buildings and infrastructure, construction experts from USA and
Europe are hired. Field engineers speak English language. It is sometime very difficult for
Pakistani workers to understand them. Most often workers could not understand the name of
basic tools used for construction purposes.

Another pressing issue arises when young Pakistani diploma holders are
employed in a company. In Pakistan diploma in civil engineering is taught in Urdu. Majority of
students study diploma syllabus in Urdu and stay away from studying it in English. Such
diploma holders also experience enormous difficulty in technical communication.

It is very important that construction workers and diploma holder are taught a
short course in ESP in which they learn the essential and required vocabulary and technical
terms of construction so that they can establish good working relationship with foreign engineers
and administrative staff of their respective companies.

I discussed this issue with representatives of some recruiting companies based

in Rawalpindi which provide construction workers to countries in Middle East. They also agreed
that it is a dire need to educate construction workers basic knowledge of construction in English.
By this way they can better assimilate themselves in companies with other persons of different
countries.

Construction is a popular profession and millions of people are connected with it directly or
indirectly. But without good communication it’s challenging—if not completely impossible.

Learning English for Construction workers will help employees in 3 main ways:

1 - By improving workplace performance

2 - By creating better work opportunities

3 - By improving safety on the job.

Construction workers who do not know professional English will not be able to easily
communicate with team members, employers, or clients. They also may not fully understand

their job. This increases the risk of making dangerous mistakes. Workers who do not know
professional English for construction are also less competitive in their jobs.

Construction workers from Pakistan usually work as steel fixers, carpenters, plumbers, tile fixers
and general labourers. Diploma holders mostly work as supervisors or foremen.

Construction Sites
English Vocabulary
When we work on a construction site, we need to know about a lot of things. Most of the things
we need to know about are tools and things we use to do our job. For instance a wire is a long,
thin, usually round piece of metal, most often used to conduct electricity. In these cases it is
usually insulated with plastic or rubber insulation to stop the electric current passing through.
Wood is a specific type of material, but we also use the word lumber to refer to all wood
products on the site, or in British English, the discarded products! Wood is a very common
material used to construct smaller houses or buildings - a beam is a piece of wood or steel that
goes right across a room, at the top, and is usually used in roofing, and in ceilings, to hold up
other parts of the ceiling or roof. Some of those other parts will be the rafters, which are the
beams that are usually in triangle shape which makes the roof. If you look up at the roof or
ceiling of a big building or room, you can sometimes see the cross beams going from one side
to the other. Bricks are the most common material that houses and other buildings are made
from, and they are usually red or orange. Clay bricks are used in some countries. Workers
use trowels to spread the cement on the bricks before they are put together.
A backhoe is a machine that is often used to dig holes for the foundations of the building,
which usually go much deeper than the building itself. If the building is going to be very big,
the excavation site may be very deep. A backhoe has a very big shovel that it brings toward
itself -using a big mechanical arm - to dig a hole, and is sometimes the same machine used as
an excavator. The difference is that a shovel tip is used on the backhoe. A shovel is the tool
used to dig holes, and is very often used by people to dig small holes, while a pickaxe is like a
shovel but is 'T' shaped. People swing it into the ground to break the ground, because it is steel
on top, with a sharp end and a slightly rounded end. It has a spade-shaped head, and a long
handle. A shovel is often used to put sand or dirt in a wheelbarrow, which is used to take away
the sand or to carry things - it has one wheel and two handles so a person can take the handles
and move sand or other things to somewhere else. It does require some balance, especially
with a heavy load!
Vans are types of car that have a closed in space at the back for carrying objects or people, and
they usually have a roller-door on the side. That is different to a pickup truck which has an
open space at the back for carrying objects. Of course, a van or pickup truck has to ask
someone to move a barricade which may be blocking the road. Places where barricades will be
set up may be written in the blueprints - which detail the design for the entire building, but
usually the barricade is temporary and not in the blueprints.
The van, and the people in the backhoe, and the other construction workers who are working on
the building site usually communicate by two-way radio. People on the scaffolding - which is put
up around the building for people to climb up and down and is usually made of steel, or bamboo
in some Asian countries, have to be very careful that nothing falls from their toolbelt, which is
worn around the waist like a normal belt, but is used to hang tools off.
A lot of machinery is used on a building site. A cement mixer churns up cement, which is used
to stick bricks together. A builder is a person who works on a building site, who might lay bricks,
build things or knock down walls using a giant heavy hammer, called a sledge hammer.

A bulldozer is a a powerful machine used to knock buildings down and push the rubble into a
pile. A digger can then pick this up and drop it into a dump truck which will take the rubbish
away. Diggers are also used to dig holes in an excavation site, which is an area that has large
holes dug into the ground in which to put the buildings foundations. A cherry picker is a machine
that is used to lift builders up to high places, such as to a tree or the roof of a house. If it isn't too
high then a ladder will be used which is like a vertical set of steps. A crane is a huge structure,
used to lift heavy objects, such as a crate of bricks, up very high, like to the tenth floor of a
building.

A builder uses lots of small tools too. He uses a spirit level, which is a tool to make sure
something is completely horizontal or vertical. A tape measure is a long flexible ruler which
winds up into a small metal casing, and is used to measure things. A bigger tool he might use is
a pneumatic drill which is a tool about one metre high that drills down into concrete to break it
up. It is very noisy, so builders use ear protectors to cover their ears and muffle the loud noise.
To stop people walking where builders are working a cone is used, which is a brightly coloured
plastic marker that looks like an ice cream cone. They also use a hard hat, which is a hat that
covers most of the head and is made out of strong plastic so that if something falls it won't
damage their head. To make sure people don't walk in the way of a piece of machinery people
wave a flag, which is a piece of brightly coloured material on a stick. The man who waves it is
called a linesman.

A board is a large, flat piece of wood, used for things like mixing cement on. It is often made out
of plywood, which is a type of wood made out of lots of pieces of old bits of wood that are stuck
together with glue. Some other material builders use is a girder, which is a large, heavy beam
made out of strong metal. It is used to hold a building up, especially over a doorway or other
weak area. A pipe is a long circular piece of metal which is hollow, so that water or gas can be
pumped through it. Shingle is the name of the smalls stones that is mixed with sand and cement
to make concrete. A trailer is attached to the back of a car and is used to carry material around
The training modules titles: Module 1 Basic Construction Elements Module 2 Construction Site
Facilities. Chosen Construction Equipment, Tools and Machinery Module 3 Communication and
employment Module 4 Technical documentation and Health and Safety

Build

To construct or create something from nothing.

He’s planning to build a new house.
Reconstruct

To build again, often after a structure has been damaged.

Next week we’ll begin to reconstruct the old church.
Remodel

To change the inner structure of a building (or part of a building) in order to change its
appearance.

They want to remodel the master bedroom to create more closet space.
Renovate
This term refers to updating or repairing a building (or part of a building) so that it looks
new again.
The kitchen is 20 years old and they want to renovate it.
Demolition

The act of destroying something or taking it down.

The demolition of the empty warehouse downtown is scheduled for next week.
Sites and Spaces

Property

You probably know the general English term “property,” referring to someone’s
belongings. In construction, a property is a specific piece of land—often including the
building or buildings on that land.

He owns several properties in the downtown area.

Commercial property

A commercial property is a property that’s intended for non-residential buildings. In

other words, it should be used for a business, not for living.

The contract is for a commercial property and the building will be for offices.
Construction site/Building site

The place where a structure is being built.

We’ll need to bring the equipment to 5th street. That’s where the construction site is
located.
Scaffolding

This is a temporary structure next to a building that workers can stand on to work on a
building. It’s usually made out of wood planks and metal poles.
He fell from the scaffolding onto the sidewalk, but didn’t have any serious injuries.
Hazardous

This word describes something that’s dangerous.

The weather conditions are too hazardous for work on the construction site today.

Describing Buildings and Building Materials

Blueprint

The design or drawing that shows the plan for a building or other structure, such as a
house.

We got the blueprints today and everything looks perfect. When can we start to build?
Brick

A hard block, usually made out of clay, that’s used to build structures.

What are the walls made out of? We used brick.

Concrete

This is the hard, grey material used to create floors and walls, among other things. It’s
poured out in liquid form and then hardens.

We’ll pour the concrete foundation today.

Drywall

This is a board usually made from plaster that’s used to create the interior walls of a
structure.

He ordered the drywall last month, but it hasn’t arrived yet, so we’re behind schedule.
Beam

A piece of wood, steel or other material that runs across the structure of a building to
hold weight.

We discovered cracks in this beam, which we need to address as soon as possible.

Joist

A supportive beam of wood or metal in a building. Usually it runs parallel to the ceiling
or floor.
We’ll finish putting in the joists today and start on laying the floor tomorrow.
Vertical

The up-to-down or top-to-bottom direction.

How many vertical beams are there on each floor of the building?
Horizontal

The left-to-right or side-to-side direction.

The floor and ceiling are both horizontal.

Construction Tools
Crane

The tall machine that helps to lift heavy objects and materials to the upper floors of a
building.

Adam is operating the crane today.

Shovel

This is a tool used to pick up dirt, sand, gravel and snow.

Give me the shovel so I can clear off the sidewalk.

Bulldozer

A machine with a large shovel attached that helps to dig holes and remove rocks from
the ground.

We’ll need the bulldozer to dig the foundation.

Dump truck

This is a large truck that has an open back, which can be filled with trash and debris.

The dump truck is full and needs to be emptied.

Ladder

A ladder has steps or bars to allow people to climb up and down.

I use a ladder to reach the light to change the lightbulb.

Wheelbarrow

A device used to move material such as rocks or soil from one place to another. It has
one wheel on the front, so people can easily push it around.

She put the rocks from the garden into the wheelbarrow and took them to the other
side of her house.
Hard hat

The protective hat construction workers wear on a construction site.

You must wear a hard hat to protect your head while on the construction site.
Construction Job Titles and Positions

Architect

The person who creates or draws the design for the building, house or structure.

Rachel was the lead architect for the museum downtown.

Surveyor

A person who investigates land to see if it’s possible to build there.

The surveyor just sent us his report and we’re all set to start building.
Contractor

A contractor is a person or company who provides services for a specific job.

For the indoor pool, we’ll need to hire a contractor who has experience with this type of
project.
General contractor

The person or company responsible for everyday work of all members on a construction
site.

A good general contractor anticipates problems on job sites before they happen.
Subcontractor

A person or company that does work for a contractor or larger project.

Let’s get a subcontractor for the plumbing.

Workman

A person who does manual labor and often reports to a contractor or other manager at
a construction site.

How many workmen do you have on site?

Bricklayer

A person who builds walls, structures and pathways with bricks.

The bricklayers finished today and the walls look great!

Electrician

A person who installs the electric wires of a building or structure.

It’s safer to hire a professional electrician. They’ll know what safety equipment to install
around the wires.
Plumber

A person who installs the pipes and plumbing fixtures in a building or structure.

If you don’t know how to fix your plumbing, call your local plumber.
Roofer

This person is responsible for building the roof of a building or structure.

The roofers won’t come today because it’s raining.

Mason

A person who builds and works with stone.

Do we really need a mason? I thought we’d decided to use brick and concrete.
Carpenter

A person who builds and repairs buildings, structures and other items out of wood.

Let’s ask the carpenter to build bookshelves into this wall.

 First Lesson Plan
Introduction Construction Tools
Trowel

Brick
Sliding Bolt

Tower Bolt

Hammer and Nails

Wheelbarrow

Rammer

Chisel
Bitumen

Pickaxe

Sand

Morter
Plumb bob

Pliar

Screw Driver

Spade