Week 8, Friday. Quiz Day

Review of Skills demonstrations so far
Drafting and Blueprint reading 
Architect & Engineering rulers
Laser levels or transit levels and stadia rods
Calculations of elevations and distance

Knots and Rigging
boline
boline on the bight
3 part boline
truckers hitch
pipe hitch
timber hitch
clove hitch
reef knot
fisherman's knot
Sheepshank hitch

Framing
Drilling with Milwaukee Hole Hawg
Self-feeding bits
Auger bits
Cordless drills
Framing square
Combination square
Chalk lines
Line level
Measuring tapes
Milwaukee Reciprocating saw
plunge cutting and scrolling

Plastic
Fusion
Hot air plastic welding

Steel
300 with universal carrier
Manual threaders with pipe stand
65R
Ridgid 700 Power Drive
Cutting, threading reaming
Applying joint compound (dope) Masters ProDope with PTFE MSDS
Applying Teflon tape

Copper 
swaging
cutting
reaming
cleaning
fluxing With Masters All condition Soldering Paste MSDS
soldering

Becoming A Stronger and Faster Reader

 

Take a few minutes to watch the video below which contains some helpful tips on becoming a stronger and faster reader. 

 

Week 8, Thursday Drafting in the AM, Pipe 0001 in the PM.

Drafting and Blueprint reading
Assignment on Riser diagrams.

Familiarity with these will be important when we begin to study the Plumbing code in detail. Most of the explanations of code sections are accompanied by a riser diagram as part of the explanation. Check out the Appendix to Division B.

Pipe 0001
Assignment on Copper Tube and Fittings

Working with Copper Tube 

YouTube Playlist of Videos on Copper 


How to solder


Why pipe prep and soldering procedure is important.

 You can even do flameless soldering with a tool like the Ridgid RT 100.

Drilling Cage

Nice and clean now, soon to be full if holes.

Week 8, Wed -- Pipe 0001

Iron Pipe and Fittings Assignment. (2nd last one, copper tomorrow)

Demos of Ridgid 65R and 700 Power Drive.

Ridgid No.65R-TC Manual Receding Threader Instructions

 700 Power Drive.

Week 8, Tuesday: Tools Assignment Part 2

Hand tools and power tools.

Ridgid 65R and 700 Power Drive.

We've finally got some cordless drills so we will put our drilling cages together and get ready to make some holes!!! Big holes, little holes, long holes, oval holes, holes in a line, holes on a slope, holes with a hole saw, holes with a self-feeding bit, holes with an auger bit, a spade bit, even holes with a reciprocating saw, but that's a whole different thing again.





Pipe freeze tool

Week 8: Monday, Applied Math

Working on Unit 19: 45 degree diagonals and fitting allowances.

Sweet working with 45s because we only have one constant to work with 1.414

We also work with our understanding of right triangles where if we have a 90 and one 45, the other angle has to be 45 to add up to 180 degrees. That also means that the sides of the triangle are going to be the same. This means that in a piping arrangement offset and run(or rise) are the same.

Sometimes you have to puzzle things out a bit from the clues you are given and your knowledge of triangles.

Homework!!

Before we really start working in the shop on Pipe 0002 activities some of the basic safety and tool orientation theory assignments must be complete.

The reading on Safe work practices must be complete. If you are not complete you will not be allowed to work in the shop and you will be marked as absent.

Hand and Power Tools is a two part assignment.  Part One has been distributed and the questions are in your email.

Framing the cage

Parts of a wall

How to layout a stud wall.



Corners

Drilling and Notching 


Cutting floor joists

Week 7: Pipe 0001 in AM. Quiz in the PM.

New deal. Now that English is done we'll have Pipe 0001 and Pipe 0002 classes on Friday.

In the AM we will continue with the safe working practices assignment.

I will try to schedule regular quizzes for Friday afternoons.

The quiz this Friday is on the Pipe Trades Handbook. It will be open book and the questions will all be from the assignments.

The quiz has 50 questions and you will have 1 hour to complete. The quiz will be in a Google form and I will switch it off at the 60 minute mark, you must submit before then (I'll give you a 15 minute and a 5 minute warning). You will not be able to edit your response.

The quiz will form part of your mark for the Pipe 0001 Pipe Trades Theory class. The overall grade will be based on assignments (30%), quizzes (30%) and final exam (40%).

Your lowest quiz mark will be excluded from the final calculation-- everyone has an off day.

Week 7, Thursday. Drafting in the Afternoon.

Shop drawings and material handling.



Pipe spools in a laydown yard.

How the heck do they know what goes where? 

Interesting short article on Tracking and Traceablity 

What the Heck is that thing?

The Importance of Workplace Essential Skills

A few weeks ago, I wrote a short post about the 9 Workplace Essential Skills:
1. Reading
2. Document Use
3. Numeracy
4. Writing
5. Oral Communication
6. Working with Others
7. Thinking
8. Digital Technology
9. Continuous Learning

Each skill is necessary for success in today's workplace and while the various skills may be used to greater or lesser degrees depending on the job, the vast majority of jobs use each of them at some point. 

As we read through the list, we are likely aware that some of these skills come more easily or naturally to us while we may struggle with others.  For example, we may really enjoy working with others and have strong relational skills but struggle with reading and writing.  The opposite may also be true.

It is important to use our strengths - the skills we are strong in - because that is a unique contribution we bring to the workplace and it will make our work more enjoyable when we are working in the area of our strengths. 

However, this doesn't mean that we get to just ignore the skills that we are weak in and hope that someone else will pick up the slack in that area.  Identifying the skills we struggle with is very important because it gives us the opportunity to look for ways we can strengthen that skill.  Personally speaking, I am a reader and a writer - I love books and I love writing.  I also love learning in the area of my career and would be happy attending classes, workshops and seminars forever.  :-)  However, if I did only those things in a job setting and avoided the others skills such as numeracy or digital technology, I would have difficulty being an effective worker.  Basic technology such as internet research, email, social media, and networking are part of my work on a daily basis.  I need to use and strengthen those skills to be well rounded as an employee.

Which of the 9 Essential Skills skills are you strong in and enjoy using the most?  How can you use those skills to enhance your learning and your career as a plumber?  How can you use the skills you are strong in to assist others who may struggle in that area?

Which skills do you struggle with?  What can you do to strengthen those skills?  How can you practise them regularly?  Who are the people around you who can help you? (Hint:  Sometimes when we find ourselves feeling frustrated in class or in the work setting, it is a clue that perhaps we are being challenged to use a skill that doesn't come easily.  Own that feeling and use it to help you strengthen that skill, ask for assistance, practise, and keep working at it and you will begin to see results.)



Week 7, Wednesday: Safe working practices

Our fire extinguishers arrived!!

They are ABC

PASS= pull (the pin), aim( at the base of the fire)  squeeze (the tigger) , spray (in a back and forth sweeping motion)

Also received eye wash stations, hand cleaner and floor cleaning equipment and materials.

Week 7, Tuesday: Pipe 0001

Plastics of all sorts. 

Polyethylene fusion

We're moving into a a more in-depth looks at tools and materials starting with Plastic pipes. The Pipe Trades Handbook assignments provided an overview and introduced some of the language and related techniques of the trade. Now we start digging in and working with more hands on. We'll work with the main types of plastic used in the piping trades, ABS, PVC and various types of Polyethylene pipe. We will be learning the various connection methods including solvent welding, insert connections, crimp connections, butt fusion and plastic welding. Complete the assignment Plastic Pipe and Fittings distributed in your email.

Plastic Welding technique.

Week 6, Thursday- Drafting in the AM Pipe 0001 In the Afternoon.

Drafting and Blueprint Reading, working with isometric views and detail boxes.

Pipe 0001 Polyethylene pipe fusion. Theory and demo

Order out of chaos

Tool boxes arrived, reclaimed the work tables. 

Tool crib getting organized. 

Week 6, Wednesday: OMG-- Last section of the PTH

The appendices might be the most useful section of the whole book. The reading assignment will lead you through the information available there.

For all the safety information, the appropriate Manitoba Workplace Health and Safety Regulations supersede.

The Table of Contents begins on page 62.

 So for example here are details from a few of the sections:

The Regulations begin with a section on definitions and a section that outlines the repsonsibilities workers and supervisors in the workplace.

DUTIES OF WORKERS General duties of workers 5 Every worker while at work shall, in accordance with the objects and purposes of this Act, (a) take reasonable care to protect his safety and health and the safety and health of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; (b) at all times, when the nature of his work requires, use all devices and wear all articles of clothing and personal protective equipment designated and provided for his protection by his employer, or required to be used and worn by him by the regulations; The Workplace Safety And Health Act 9 (c) consult and co-operate with the workplace safety and health committee, where such a committee exists, regarding the duties and matters with which that committee is charged under this Act; (d) consult and co-operate with the worker safety and health representative, where such a representative has been designated, regarding the duties and matters with which that representative is charged under this Act; (e) comply with this Act and the regulations; and (f) co-operate with any other person exercising a duty imposed by this Act or the regulations.

 PPE Section 6.3

6.2(1) An employer must (a) develop and implement safe work procedures for the use of personal protective equipment in the workplace; (b) train workers in those safe work procedures; and (c) ensure that workers comply with those safe work procedures.

 Ladders See Section 13 (check out the requirements for job-built ladders)

13.16(2) Without limiting subsection (1), an employer must ensure that (a) where a portable ladder is used as a means of access to a platform, roof or other landing, it extends at least one metre above the platform, roof or other landing; and (b) for a portable ladder other than a stepladder, it is placed against a structure so that the slope of the ladder is no more than 1:4. 

13.18 An employer must ensure that a worker using (a) a stepladder or other commercially manufactured portable ladder does so in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and safe operating instructions; and (b) a portable ladder other than a stepladder (i) does not extend any part of his or her body, except his or her arms, beyond the side rails of the ladder, and (ii) maintains a three-point contact on the ladder at all times.  

Job built ladder

Fall Protection is in section 14

 14.1(1) This Part applies to every workplace where there is a risk of a worker falling (a) a vertical distance of 3 m or more; (b) a vertical distance of less than 3 m where there is an increased risk of injury due to the surface or item on which the worker might land; (c) into operating machinery or moving parts of the machinery; (d) into water or another liquid; (e) into or onto a hazardous substance or object; (f) through an opening on a work surface; or (g) a vertical distance of more than 1.2 m from an area used as a path for a wheelbarrow or similar equipment. 

Confined Spaces is in Section 15

15.2(2) The safe work procedures must include (a) procedures for recognizing the risks associated with working in the confined space; (b) procedures for isolating — including blanking, disconnecting, interrupting and locking out — pipes, lines and sources of energy from a confined space; (c) safety and personal protective equipment to be used; (d) procedures for communicating with a standby worker; (e) an emergency response plan and rescue procedures to be implemented in the event of an accident or other emergency in a confined space; and (f) information about the entry permit system under section 15.4.

15.12 Despite any other provision of this Part, an employer must not require or permit (a) a worker to enter a confined space if the oxygen content level in the space is above 23%; or (b) a worker, other than a firefighter responding to an emergency, to enter a confined space if a concentration of a flammable or explosive substance in the confined space cannot be reduced to less than 10% of its lower explosive limit.

 Fire and Explosive Hazards Section 19

19.3(1) Fire protection equipment and fire extinguishers An employer must ensure that (a) fire protection equipment of an appropriate type and sufficient size and capacity to be effective is installed in the workplace in accordance with the Manitoba Fire Code; and (b) portable fire extinguishers are located in the workplace in accordance with the Manitoba Fire Code. 19.3(2) An employer must ensure that all fire protection equipment and portable fire extinguishers are maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and the Manitoba Fire Code.

 Cranes and Hoists Section 23 (Section 23.33(1) has specific regulations regarding rigging)

23.3(1) Operator requirements An employer must ensure that only a person who is authorized to practise the trade of crane and hoist operator under the Trade of Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator Regulation, Manitoba Regulation 91/2000. is allowed to operate (a) a mobile crane with a rated load of 7,300 kg or more; (b) a boom truck hoist with a rated load of 7,300 kg or more; or (c) a tower crane.

23.13(1) Unless the operator of a crane or hoist has an unobstructed and clear view of its operation, an employer must designate a signal person to give the operator signals to provide for the safe operation of the crane or hoist. 23.13(2) Except for an emergency stop signal, an operator must not follow any signal given by any worker other than the designated signal person. 

Section 25 Governs vicinity work around overhead power lines

25.1 This Part applies to every workplace where work is done (a) within 3 m of an overhead electrical line; or (b) using equipment or machinery from a location from which it, or any part of it, is capable of coming within 3 m of an overhead electrical line. 

Section 26 Governs Excavations and Tunnels (Trenches)

26.16(1) An employer who requires or permits a worker to enter a trench that has a depth of 1.5 m or less must ensure that a support structure is installed in it, but only if there is a danger of cave-in, collapse or material sliding or rolling into the trench due to soil or work conditions at the construction project site. Workplace Safety And Health Regulation 245 26.16(2) An employer who requires or permits a worker to enter a trench that has a depth of more than 1.5 m but not more than 4.5 m must ensure that (a) shoring that is constructed of components that meet the minimum requirements for the applicable soil conditions set out in the Schedule to this Part is installed; or (b) an alternative that is designed and certified by a professional engineer is used for stabilizing the walls of the trench.

The regulations have a table for section 26,  starting on p. 254, that lays out the requirements for shoring which reflects the type of soil in which the trench or excavation occurs.

Section 28 Governs Scaffolds and other elevated work platforms

28.1(2) Except for work of short duration that can be done safely from a ladder, an employer must ensure that a worker engaged in work that cannot be done from the ground or other safe elevation is provided with a scaffold or an elevated work platform.

28.6(1) An employer must ensure that a scaffold (a) can safely support, and its footing, sills and similar supports can support without undue settlement or deformation, at least four times the maximum load that will be or is likely to be imposed on it; (b) if partially or fully enclosed, has components and tie-ins that are adequate to support any added load that may be imposed on it by wind, wind gusts or other environmental conditions;(c) is installed plumb and is stabilized by (i) having its vertical and horizontal members braced to prevent lateral movement, Workplace Safety And Health Regulation 261 (ii) being anchored and securely guyed or tied back to the building or structure, or to a fixed support, at the intervals recommended (A) by a professional engineer, if the scaffold was designed by a professional engineer, or (B) by the manufacturer, if the scaffold was commercially manufactured, but in no case at vertical and horizontal intervals of more than three times the minimum lateral dimension of the scaffold;  

This section also has specifics for scissor lifts. For example:

28.39(3) Despite subsection (1), a fall arrest system is not required for a worker who remains within the confines of the guardrail of a scissor lift while the lift is being raised or lowered. 

Part 35 governs WHMIS

35.3(1) An employer must ensure that a worker who works with or near a controlled product or performs work involving the manufacture of a controlled product receives training in the following: (a) the content required to be on a supplier label and a workplace label and the purpose and significance of the information on the label; (b) the content required to be on a material safety data sheet and the purpose and significance of the information on the material safety data sheet; (c) procedures for safely storing, using and handling the controlled product; (d) if applicable, the methods of identification referred to in section 35.7; (e) the procedures to be followed if there are fugitive emissions; (f) the procedures to be followed in case of an emergency involving the controlled product.

Tonka Crane lifts Tee

Disaster in the making.

Tower Cranes

 Setting up Outriggers on a mobile crane

Week 6, Tuesday Pipe 0001

Pipe Trades Handbook, Section 11: Rigging. Second last unit of the PTH.
 You all know many of the knots in this section. We will be putting our hands on many of the tools recommended and we will be driving the Tonka Crane.

 Crosby is a popular manufacturer of rigging equipment. They set the industry standard. Crosby also produces training materials.


Calculating sling loads




Rigging Safety

Week 6, Monday. Applied Math

Review of Measurements and conversions between systems.

Many construction trades, including the piping trades frequently rely on measuring and leveling equipment of various kinds. These tools require the use of simple math to convert between various measures.
This activity will refresh your memory of the basic math involved in preparation for working with the leveling equipment like the laser level and the transit level.


Like this



Equal Spacing is a mathematical skill which is frequently required the piping trades. You can count on having a related question on all apprenticeship and Red Seal exams (and exams in this course).

Air pressure calculator using the (iFrame code snippet)

Use the iframe code snippet. Replace everything inside the first set of quotation marks with the URL of the page you want to display. Change the sizes so it displays the way you want.


iframe src="demo_iframe.htm" height="200" width="300"></iframe>

 

Week 5: Thursday, Drafting & Blueprint reading in AM Pipe 0001 in the PM

In the AM
Drafting and Blueprint Reading for Plumbers.

• Chapter 4: Structural and Civil Blueprint

Elevation calculator

Using elevations to install a sewer pipe

Another exercise that brings together your learning from Piping theory, data from the Pipe Trades Handbook and Applied Math.

In the PM
Pipe 0001:

• PTH Section 9: Piping Prints ( completed) 
• PTH Section 10: Welding (assigned) 

Week 5: Wednesday Pipe:0001

Finishing up the WHMIS course.
The program will expire in a few days so everyone needs to wrap it up and challenge the final exam.
This type of training is very common on the job and is referred to as "compliance training". Usually when you start a job your are required to participate in orientation and training and safety related training, including WHMIS is required by law. Increasingly employers are using web-based training programs. It might not be your preferred way of learning at first but you need to develop your capacity to learn in all manners.
Most jobs, including those in the piping trades, require an sophisticated use of online resources and strategies for information and communications technology.

The next section of the Pipe Trades Handbook is Section 10: Welding. The assignment is intended to guide your reading to familiarize yourself with the information in the PTH and to consider the words and concepts of the trade. We will be doing a practical section of welding once we get the necessary equipment and shop arrangements but in the mean time it is useful to know where some of the technical information is located.

Week 5: Tuesday: PTH Section 9. It's not just reading

Today's assignment compliments the work we have been doing in the Applied Math and the Blueprint Reading class. Really, it is a bit arbitrary to separate things into different classes, you have to be able to put things together from many different sources. This requires a degree of mental agility and tenacity that is developed over time and as a result of individual effort.

Learning like this is seldom a comfortable process, it can be frustrating and annoying and as with many aspects of learning, you can't really begin learning until you have an idea of what you DON'T know. Nobody really likes the idea that they don't know things, it disrupts our self-image and can shake our confidence.

So learning requires not only academic skills but self-management skills-- discipline, tolerance for frustration, tenacity and focus. To a certain extent these things can be learned or developed, but it is a process, a process which can be uncomfortable for some.  Learning to learn is even more important than learning content and part of learning to learn is learning about yourself -- your strengths and limits, your strategies for coping with frustration, your ability to develop more productive ways of dealing.

The Essential Skill of Reading

There are 9 identified Workplace Essential Skills.  These are skills that are needed for success in the workplace and employers will seek workers who demonstrate these skills.  They are the following:

1) Reading
2) Document Use
3) Numeracy
4) Writing
5) Oral Communication
6) Working with Others
7) Thinking
8) Digital Technology
9) Continuous Learning

The first skill on the list is Reading.  The ability to read workplace documents, work orders, manuals, code books, and other material pertinent to the trade is very important.  Technical reading can be a challenge, especially if it is a skill that is new to us.  There are ways we can practise this skill and strengthen it so that it becomes easier. 

Below is a link to a page on the Government of Canada's website, giving tips and ideas to develop and strengthen the essential skill of Reading.  I'd encourage you to take a look at it and try out some of the ideas as you read through materials in your Trades courses. 

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/essential-skills/tools/reading.html

Week 5: Monday Applied Math

Applied Math
Unit 13: Welded Steel Pipe
Unit 14: Allowing for welded fittings


Socket Weld fitting

 Butt weld fit up