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Draughtsman to Design Engineer

24 Mar 2015

The Story

Nitesh Patel- My Journey

Back in September 2014 we went on the hunt for two Technical Design Draughtsmen to join our team here, at the 48.3 Head Quarters in Surrey. We had a great response and the recruitment process was lengthy and gruelling however, in the end it was Alex Kirk and Nitesh Patel who fitted the bill.

However, although 21-year-old Nitesh had a First Class Civil Engineering Degree and bags of enthusiasm he had no experience with scaffolding, which was always going to mean that his journey would involve some steep learning curves and lots of training!

Six months on we hear in his own words what he’s learnt since joining the world of Scaffold Design and how his knowledge has developed.

My Background

‘Whilst I was at University I knew that the word ‘temporary works’ existed and with that ‘scaffolding’, but never in three years did I ever use those words. It was always about permanent works, whenever I used to do any sort of truss analysis I always used to imagine a steel I-beam but never a 48.3mm scaffold tube.

It sounds naïve but it’s true, I didn’t realise there were so many different design codes and standards relating to scaffolding- this really is structural engineering.

I began 48.3’s Design Training programme with zero knowledge on scaffolding still imagining concrete and steel I-sections however, slowly I learnt and still am, the basics of scaffolding by reading Codes of Practice to develop my working knowledge.

My Training

The bulk of my learning began on AutoCAD, drawing out scaffolding. I didn’t realise the enormity and importance of a drawing and how this could affect the scaffold erection. Sooner rather than later it ‘clicked’ to me that what I was doing was virtual engineering making sure the scaffold is perfect of erection on paper and in principle whereby, no scaffold members clashed.

Scaffold ties was another big revelation, they’re amazing structural components; I didn’t know that a scaffold was in some way tied to a building or anchored down and how important ties were in terms of stability. Whenever, I saw a scaffold I didn’t think much of it, I didn’t even bother to think how it’s fixed or is it safe.

I also didn’t know how versatile scaffolding was, for instance box ties, another eye opener- I learnt that you could box tie around an existing column with four transoms connected with right-angle couplers to transfer load to the existing structure from the scaffold and as for that matter gravlocks another surprising structural connection that could be formed from the tube to the beam. 

During, my first ever project I had to draw out a Bridged Birdcage and Loading Bay on AutoCAD, I came across a problem, the scaffold length was 8310mm and the 450mm beam length was maxed out at 8100mm. So, I didn’t know how it would all work out in terms of transmitting loads from the beam to the outer standards to the ground.

It was then that I learnt, that you could use a ledger underslung with right-angle couplers to join the beam-ends with the outer standards. To someone else that’s standard industry practice, but to me it was a ‘eureka’ moment, as I could use that as a ‘tool’ for solving problems.

Furthermore, check fittings was another thing that made go ‘wow’, I didn’t think that to increase the slip capacity of a coupler you could just add in another coupler, stopping the tube from slipping down.

It’s all the simple things that I didn’t think of or know about that has made my learning experience interesting and made me even more curious about scaffolding from design to erection’.   

My advice

My personal advice for any new graduate who’s interested in temporary works and in particular the dark art of scaffold designing is to go back to your lecture notes (hopefully you haven’t thrown them away at this point) and review the basic structural engineering principles as they form the core basis of analysing and designing any structural element, this will put you in good stead.

Secondly, be prepared to put in the hard hours as scaffolding is so versatile, so many different components, products, methods and different types of scaffolds you can’t stop learning and you will never stop -that’s the beauty of engineering.  

Thirdly, you have be passionate about the work involved in whichever career path you choose, be it in the temporary works or permanent works industry, both have their differences and at the same time both are as equally important as one another.

Next Steps

If you are inspired by Nitesh's journey and think Scaffold Design is the industry for you then we've provided a few useful links to help you on your way! 

To find Civil Engineering degree courses in your area click here

To find more information and samples of Codes of Practise click here

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