Field Engineer Guide To Working On The Building (Layout Tolerances And Install Support)

Field Engineer Guide to Working on the Building (Layout Tolerances and Install Support)

In this blog, I’m going to talk briefly about some of the other roles of a field engineer in this overall process and how valuable they can be from day one. I’ve got three specific things that I want to talk about. One of them is an example and the other ones are general concepts.

Field Engineers Focus on Quality and Safety (Not Secondary)

There are a lot of different things that a field engineer will do throughout the building to really maintain quality assurance, meaning quality from the beginning and some quality control, some after the fact. Although, I do want to make sure that we’re on point, that safety and quality are what we do. They’re not secondary things and we have to reduce our dependence on inspection and focus more on how we can do things in a quality and safe manner right the first time.

So, there are a lot of things that field engineers do and in the book Construction Surveying and Layout there’s some beautiful chapters at the last part of the book in version three that talk about different responsibilities different control types and different applications of field engineering.

Grid Leveling Example: How Field Engineers Work

I’m going to use grid leveling as just one example. You can do this when you’re talking about a building pad or if you’re talking about a deck. Grid leveling is where you literally grid off and you can do this with strings. You can do this with baby powder in a chalk box. You can do this with just little dots with your orange spray paint, your upside-down spray paint.

Once you have your grid, can set up your automatic level site to a benchmark and pick up the actual benchmark plus your backsight equals your instrument height. Best practice is to hit over to another benchmark and pick up that benchmark and grab your backsight and get your instrument height and then compare your instrument heights. Then do side shots over here to the grids and basically come up with a heat map if you’re looking at it on plan view where you can have you know let’s say it’s plus plus right on right on minus minus maybe back into the plus and you’re literally doing a grid leveling heat map for what the elevation is through the deck or through the pad.

And you might be like, “Jason, this is an odd way to explain what you’re about to explain,” but I’m just using grid leveling as an example of 40 other things that field engineers do.

The 40 Other Things Field Engineers Do

I mean, we’re talking quantities, we’re talking horizontal staking out horizontal curves, vertical curves, we’re talking grid leveling, we’re talking laying out profiles, we’re talking about laying out spirals or architectural features that aren’t, you know, some kind of fixed line or square geometry. We’re talking office duties. We’re talking checking window openings with a jig.

Like a field engineer can do so many different things like this to make sure that we are, which was mentioned in a podcast with an awesome general superintendent from Iron Mark, level, plumb, square throughout the entire structure and that we have accuracy which means we’re in the right place and precision which means that from point to point we have accurate dimensions.

Let me round this out. Primary control’s around the job, secondary control’s around the building, working control’s around the component, and then from that working control or the grid, the lift drawing takes over and you can two-tape any component. So, a field engineer literally takes for every component from the basis of bearings all the way to the component layout and with a drawing. That’s beautiful.

One Sentence Summary: Anything That Controls the Quality of the Building

But there are a number of other activities that are mentioned in the book that field engineers do. And you’re probably like, “Jason, give me a comprehensive list.” It’s already in the field engineering methods manual. But here it is in one sentence.

Anything that controls the quality of the building is the field engineer’s duty.

And so, when you think about like are we doing self-perform or are we not doing self-perform, what are we going to use field engineers for? The answer is to make sure everything is right.

The Mine Sweeper Analogy: Field Engineers Prevent Future Landmines

Oh, here’s a good analogy. Have you ever played Mine Sweeper where you literally click on the little squares and you’re trying not to hit a mine? Or have you ever played a video game where something is like flashing red and it’s about to explode?

Imagine your whole building and break the whole thing up into components. And if it’s not checked by a field engineer, it starts flashing red and it’s going to blow up one of these days. A field engineer’s job is to double-check every component so that they are not future landmines. So that’s focus number one.

Framework One: Horizontal and Vertical Control Through Structure

Now, let me talk to you about a brief framework for how we go from structure to the interiors. When we’re in concrete, the field engineer is laying out the baseline for the foundations. The field engineer is helping to control the elevations of the slab on grade. The field engineer is getting grid lines on that slab on grade so that we can go vertical with walls and columns. And it’s very clear what a field engineer will do.

When steel comes on the scene, they’re just as involved. And I should actually say steel or masonry because typically you’ll have a combination of the two. When your steel structure goes up, those field engineers are very much involved in checking the edge plumb of the building, seeing how much the heat is affecting the overall horizontal dimensions and helping to control the elevations as we go up, especially for slab on metal deck.

So I’m going to call that horizontal plus vertical control through the structure.

Framework Two: Quality Control in Interiors (Anything Hidden or Covered)

Then once we start to wrap that with an exterior and it gets more conditioned, it’s more stable inside the building. Let’s say that this is the upper floor and this is the base floor, the field engineer will make sure that everything is going inside the wall properly for in-wall inspections and that everything is going in properly for above ceiling inspections and then that everything is being installed properly actually on those surfaces.

So when you’re going from concrete to the super structure, steel and masonry, it could be concrete as well to interiors, there’s always something to check that is hidden. If you think about it, concrete and wall are not much different. With concrete, it gets hard and gray and with drywall it gets soft and white. If it’s dense glass, it’s yellow. Or if it’s purple board, it’s purple. But it’s a different covering, but it’s getting covered.

So a field engineer in addition to checking every component is making sure that we are quality controlling anything that’s being covered or hidden.

Framework Three: What Every Crew Needs (Information and Layout)

And the last framework I want to leave you with for other responsibilities is that it doesn’t matter what it is. You could take a crew. Here’s the foreman and the workers and they’re about to do a work inside of a zone installing a work package inside of their Takt time. And what do they need?

They need two things. They need the information and they need the layout. So, they’re always doing survey and control and they’re always doing lift drawings and they’re always doing frontline inspections. And does this crew need to be safe even if it’s not a concrete crew? Absolutely.

Here’s the field engineer framework:

• Anything that controls quality of the building is field engineer’s duty – In one sentence summary. Not just layout and lift drawings. Grid leveling, quantities, horizontal staking, horizontal curves, vertical curves, laying out profiles, laying out spirals, architectural features, office duties, checking window openings with jig. Level, plumb, square throughout entire structure. Accuracy (right place) and precision (accurate dimensions point to point).
• Field engineers prevent future landmines – Mine Sweeper analogy: imagine whole building broken up into components. If not checked by field engineer, it starts flashing red and going to blow up one of these days. Field engineer’s job: double-check every component so they are not future landmines. That’s focus number one.
• Horizontal and vertical control through structure – Concrete: laying out baseline for foundations, controlling elevations of slab on grade, getting grid lines on slab on grade so we can go vertical with walls and columns. Steel/masonry: checking edge plumb of building, seeing how much heat affecting overall horizontal dimensions, helping control elevations as we go up, especially for slab on metal deck.
• Quality control anything hidden or covered – In-wall inspections, above ceiling inspections, anything being installed on surfaces. Concrete gets hard and gray. Drywall gets soft and white. Dense glass is yellow. Purple board is purple. Different covering, but it’s getting covered. Field engineer in addition to checking every component makes sure we are quality controlling anything being covered or hidden.
• Four core responsibilities: lift drawings, layout and control, frontline quality, frontline safety – Crew needs two things: information and layout. Always doing survey and control. Always doing lift drawings. Always doing frontline inspections. Does crew need to be safe even if not concrete crew? Absolutely. If field engineer trains and has this framework, they will become some of best project delivery leaders or superintendents this industry has ever seen.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Field Engineers

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Think about your whole building. Break the whole thing up into components. If it’s not checked by a field engineer, it starts flashing red and it’s going to blow up one of these days. Your job is to double-check every component so that they are not future landmines.

Remember the four core responsibilities: lift drawings, layout and control, frontline quality, frontline safety. The crew needs two things: information and layout. You’re always doing survey and control. You’re always doing lift drawings. You’re always doing frontline inspections.

And remember: anything that controls the quality of the building is the field engineer’s duty. Not just layout. Grid leveling, quantities, horizontal staking, curves, profiles, spirals, office duties, checking window openings. Level, plumb, square throughout entire structure. Accuracy and precision.

If you train and have this framework, you will become some of the best project delivery leaders or superintendents this industry has ever seen. As we say at Elevate, field engineer responsibilities: lift drawings, layout and control, frontline quality, frontline safety. Check every component so they’re not future landmines.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the field engineer’s duty in one sentence?

Anything that controls the quality of the building is the field engineer’s duty. Not just layout and lift drawings. Grid leveling, quantities, horizontal staking, curves, profiles, spirals, office duties, checking window openings. Everything.

What’s the Mine Sweeper analogy for field engineers?

Imagine whole building broken up into components. If not checked by field engineer, it starts flashing red and going to blow up one of these days. Field engineer’s job: double-check every component so they are not future landmines.

What are the four core field engineer responsibilities?

Lift drawings, layout and control, frontline quality, frontline safety. Crew needs two things: information and layout. Always doing survey and control. Always doing lift drawings. Always doing frontline inspections. If train and have this framework, become best project delivery leaders or superintendents.

What does horizontal and vertical control through structure mean?

Concrete: laying out baseline for foundations, controlling elevations of slab on grade, getting grid lines so we can go vertical. Steel/masonry: checking edge plumb, seeing how much heat affecting horizontal dimensions, helping control elevations as we go up.

Why quality control anything hidden or covered?

Because concrete gets hard and gray. Drywall gets soft and white. Dense glass is yellow. Purple board is purple. Different covering, but it’s getting covered. Field engineer makes sure we are quality controlling anything being covered or hidden through in-wall inspections, above ceiling inspections.