SAISC SUBSIDIARIES: POLASA planning and the installation of services, and
Internal lining, external cladding and insulation( 1½ days), covering the properties, manufacturing and benefits of glasswool insulation, acoustics, energy efficiency, environmental issues, storage and handling of glasswool, tools and installation methodology.
This is followed by the section on gypsum plasterboard, covering properties, storage and handling, cutting, tools and application for walls, ceilings and finishing.
Finally fibre cement board for external cladding is addressed, including the installation of the vapour permeable membrane, sizes and availability of fibre cement- boards and planks, fixing accessories, installation guidelines, and door and window frame installation detail is presented.
To ensure that the theoretical concepts are well understood, the course includes a practical component, consisting of setting out of wall frames, squaring, levelling, and erection of walls, erection of roof trusses, installation of plumbing, external cladding( FC boards, OSB and FC planks), insulation and internal lining( gypsum board), and internal joint finishing.
The students who enrolled for the course came from Gauteng, Swaziland, North West Province, and Mpumalanga. They generally had prior building industry experience. They all rated the course highly, especially mentioning the value of the practical work. As part of the course, the students have to write two tests to assess their understanding of the subject matter. All of the students on this course passed, and received SASFA certificates of successful completion of the course. This brings the total number of students who has successfully completed this course since its inception in 2009 to 325.
The SASFA members who supplied support for the course and made it possible were Marley Building Systems, Saint- Gobain, Everite, Marshall Hinds, Kare and Simpson Strong-tie. Bosch Tools illustrated their wide range of equipment suitable for use in the LSFB industry.
POLASA making steady progress
by Kobus De Beer, Director, Polasa
During the past year POLASA( Powerline Association of South Africa) consolidated its membership and started working in various areas of common interest. An important objective was to participate in joint working groups between Industry and ESKOM to address problems and develop sustainable solutions.
POLASA was requested to look into methods and proposals to reduce the cost of construction of power lines. This request for input is testimony that Eskom has acknowledged POLASA as a valuable and powerful partner to achieve practical results.
Two of the six areas identified are briefly outlined below.
Safety, health, environment, quality & training
Regular meetings are scheduled throughout the year alternating between the bi-montly ESKOM Safety Meetings with all contractors and the regular POLASA Safety and Training meetings held with industry and ESKOM participating. All these meetings are held at Megawatt Park and an open invitation to all industry and ESKOM personnel applies. This results in a high degree of mutual support, the continuous search for better ways and the co-ordination of initiatives.
The following expectations from industry were listed:
• A platform where industry would listen to the challenges experienced by Training and SHEQ Departments
• A common goal achieved by voicing and addressing true challenges and concerns and finding suitable solutions
• Understanding the true needs so that training providers can adapt the approach to provide more effective training and provide the support required
www. polasa. co. za
Steel Construction Vol. 40 No. 1 2016 33