Responsibilities of a site engineer

A site engineer is the engineer in charge of the day-to-day execution or supervision of construction work at the site. The responsibilities, whether on the contractor's side or on the owner's side (supervising a contractor), are:

General responsibilities

1. Study the drawings, specifications and BOQ; clarify doubts and keep the drawings up to date.
2. Set out the work and check lines and levels.
3. Plan the daily and weekly work with the crew, materials, equipment and labour.
4. Control the quality of materials and workmanship; arrange tests (cube, slump, bricks, steel).
5. Ensure that the work follows the specifications, codes and programme.
6. Maintain site records: site order book, measurement book, daily progress report, material and labour registers, muster roll.
7. Make sure safety rules are followed and PPE is used.
8. Control cost and wastage of materials; check stock and indent materials.
9. Supervise labour, give instructions and resolve disputes.
10. Coordinate with other trades, the client, the consultant and local authorities.

While supervising a contractor's work

• Check that the contractor has the approved staff, equipment and programme.
• Approve materials and samples before use; reject defective materials and work.
• Inspect each stage (foundation, reinforcement, shuttering) before the next stage begins.
• Record measurements jointly and verify the contractor's running bills.
• Issue instructions through the site order book and give notice of defects.
• Report progress, delays and problems to the project manager or the owner, and recommend extensions of time or variations.
• Certify the completed work, and check the final handover and defect liability items.