The first 6 steps to teach new hires in total station training

A total station is an important surveying instrument used on site to measure distances and angles and to verify positions. It is used in many situations such as civil engineering works, land development, roads, structures, exterior work, and as-built verification. On the other hand, for newcomers there are many things to learn—setting up the tripod, leveling, sighting, coordinates, instrument point, backsight, mirror height, recording methods, etc.—and if they are assigned only practical tasks from the start, mistakes are likely to occur.

What's important in training new hires is not having them memorize operating procedures. It's getting them to understand, step by step, why each procedure is necessary, which incorrect inputs lead to what kinds of deviations, and how to verify measured values on site. This article explains, in 6 steps, the things you should teach first on site to newcomers handling an electronic distance meter (EDM) for the first time.

Table of Contents

• Fundamental Concepts to Cover First in New Employee Training for Total Stations

• Step 1 Ensure understanding of the purpose and deliverables of the survey

• Step 2 Teach the names and roles of the equipment and accessories

• Step 3: Train them in the basic installation and alignment procedures

• Step 4 Have them confirm the meanings of the instrument point and the backsight

• Step 5 Make it a habit to verify line of sight and safety during measurements

• Step 6 Ensure mistakes can be detected through recording and cross-checking

• Teaching Methods to Avoid in New Employee Training and How to Ensure On-the-Job Adoption

• Summary: Education for total stations should cultivate operators who can perform verification.

Key Concepts to Grasp First in New Employee Training for Total Stations

In training newcomers on total stations, it's important not to demand that they work quickly from the outset. In surveying, leaving accurate positional information that can be used on site takes priority over completing the work quickly. If a newcomer learns only how to operate the instrument, they may take the numbers displayed on the screen at face value and proceed without noticing errors in input values or setup conditions.

Especially with total stations, they may seem easy to use because if you set up the instrument and press the measurement button, numbers appear. However, if the underlying assumptions are off—such as the instrument station coordinates, backsight direction, mirror height, prism constant, unit settings, point names, or misidentification of measurement targets—the resulting measurements will be off as well. In training new staff, it is necessary to make clear from the outset that "getting numbers" and "obtaining correct survey results" are separate matters.

Also, because newcomers do not have a clear view of the whole workflow, they often find it hard to understand which step they are currently responsible for. Surveying consists of a series of steps: preparing drawings and coordinate data, confirming reference points on site, setting up equipment, measuring survey points, recording data, and verifying the results. Operating a total station is only one part of this process, and it only becomes actual fieldwork when the checks performed before and after operation are included.

Trainers should teach new employees not only the steps, such as "press this button" or "enter this value," but also, alongside those steps, explain what the operation is intended to confirm, where mistakes will have an impact, and who or what documents should be consulted to verify it. This makes it more likely that new employees will develop into members who support the quality of on-site surveying rather than merely auxiliary workers.

Step 1 Ensure understanding of the purpose and deliverables of the survey

The first thing to teach a newcomer is not how to operate the total station itself, but the purpose of the survey. If they handle the instrument without understanding why measurements are being taken, they will not develop a sense for how to name survey points, the appropriate level of detail in records, which locations need to be checked, or what magnitude of deviation is unacceptable. First, explain whether the survey to be carried out on site is a pre-construction check, verification of pile-driving positions, as-built confirmation, or confirmation of the positions of existing structures.

For example, in position checks before pile driving, the objective is to accurately indicate the on-site position relative to the design coordinates. In as-built verification, the purpose is to confirm how the post-construction shape and elevations compare with the drawings and management standards. When inspecting existing structures, the aim is to record current-condition information that can be used for design changes or interference checks. Even when using the same total station, if the purpose changes the points to be measured, the information to be recorded, and the way checks are carried out will change.

For new hires, it is effective to have them verbalize before starting work: "What are we measuring today?", "Who will use the measured results and for what?", and "What should be clear when you look back later?". If they cannot explain in their own words, they may not yet understand the purpose of the task. Rather than the trainer explaining unilaterally, having the new hire briefly repeat it helps identify lack of understanding early on.

Also, it is important to show examples of the deliverables. Showing the coordinate lists, field records, survey point diagrams, as-built documents, and photo-attached records produced after surveying makes it easier for newcomers to understand how the survey point names and notes they enter in the field relate to later processes. In the field, the goal is not simply to take measurements, but to record information that will be usable later. Instilling this perspective from the start makes it easier to reduce missing entries and vague notes.

In training new employees, there's no need to cram complex coordinate calculations or specialized terminology from the outset. First, ensure they understand the basics: that a total station is an instrument for handling the positional relationships on a site numerically, and that the measured results are used for construction decisions and verification documents. On top of that, cultivating an attitude of not treating each point on the site carelessly will lead to the next step.

Step 2: Teach the names and roles of equipment and accessories

Once they understand the purpose of the survey, next teach them the names, functions, and how to handle the total station unit and its accessories. If a newcomer starts work without knowing the names of the equipment, they cannot act immediately when given instructions, and on-site checks take more time. In the early stages of training, have them confirm in person the actual items used in the field, such as the instrument main unit, tripod, tribrach, battery, charger, mirror, pole, bubble vial, centering device, carrying case, and data collector.

Not only teaching the names, but also explaining how each relates to the survey results is important. A tripod is the base that stabilizes the instrument, and if the legs are not spread properly or not firmly planted in the ground, the instrument can move during measurement. The leveling base is used to bring the instrument close to horizontal, and insufficient leveling affects the verification of angles and directions. Mirrors and poles indicate the position of the measurement target, and if the pole is tilted or the mirror-height input is incorrect, the height and position results will be affected.

New staff should be taught precautions for carrying equipment early on. An optical surveying instrument is a precision device and requires protection from impacts, falls, rain, dust, and sudden temperature changes. Work sites often involve a lot of movement, and you may need to pass over uneven surfaces, temporary walkways, muddy ground, or near material storage areas. If basic handling practices are made habitual from the start—such as opening and closing storage cases, the posture for slinging it over the shoulder or carrying it by hand, loading it into vehicles, and checking the surroundings when carrying a tripod—it becomes easier to prevent equipment damage and accidents.

Also, as a pre-work inspection, teach them to check battery level, recording media and storage destination, the condition of mirrors and poles, tripod fastenings, wear on tripod feet, the display screen, and various settings. It's important to have new staff recognize the pre-survey check not as "preparatory tasks" but as "tasks to protect survey quality." If, upon arriving at the site, the battery is low, necessary accessories are missing, or the mirror is dirty, not only will work stop, but it can also lead to missed checks due to rushing.

In training on equipment and accessories, it is effective to teach by having trainees handle them. Simply looking will not reveal the weight of a tripod, the stiffness of its telescoping legs, the difficulty of keeping a pole vertical, or how it fits inside its carrying case. Newcomers should be made to experience the sequence of actions of taking items out, assembling them, putting them away, and inspecting them. In doing so, trainers place more importance on basic practices—not dropping items, not bumping them, confirming they are securely fastened, and not leaving anything behind—than on the speed of the actions.

Step 3: Teach them to master the basic operations of installation and alignment

In training new staff on an optical surveying instrument, one of the tasks worth spending time on is setup and leveling. If the instrument is set up unstably, subsequent measurements and checks cannot be carried out correctly. New trainees need to be taught, in order, how to choose where to place the tripod, how to spread the legs, how to secure it to the ground, how to mount the instrument body, and how to center and level it.

First, when choosing an installation location, confirm not only that the area you want to measure is visible, but also that the footing is stable, that it will not obstruct the passage of heavy machinery or vehicles, that it is unlikely to be contacted by workers, and that it is unlikely to experience vibration or settlement. Newcomers tend to focus only on visibility, but on-site safety and stability are also important. On soft ground, on steel plates, near temporary materials, or in areas with heavy traffic, there is a risk that the machinery will move or be contacted during work.

When setting up a tripod, teach them to spread the legs wide and press the leg tips firmly into the ground. When adjusting the leg lengths, roughly set the initial height so you won’t have to adopt an awkward posture to make adjustments after placing the instrument on it. Have new staff get into the habit of lightly checking the tripod’s locking screws by hand, because even if they think the screws are tightened they may actually be loose. If the fastenings are left loose and work proceeds, it can cause the instrument’s height or orientation to change during measurements.

When leveling, you bring the machine close to horizontal while watching the position of the bubble. Newcomers tend to learn centering the bubble as a mere formality, but explain that if the leveling is off it will affect the reliability of measurement direction and angle. Because it is easy to be confused at first about which way the leveling screw moves the bubble, don’t rush them — have them practice many times. Until they become accustomed, rather than the trainer giving directions from the side, let the trainee think through and make the adjustments themselves; this helps them develop a feel for the operation.

Checking centering is also important. Whether the instrument is set up directly above the instrument point is a prerequisite for the survey results. Teach newcomers to align the center of the point, to understand that leveling and centering are not tasks that end with just one of them, and that rechecking after adjustments is necessary. Leveling after centering can cause the position to shift slightly, so you need to check centering again after leveling. Make them learn this back-and-forth checking not as a tedious task but as a basic operation to maintain accuracy.

In installation and leveling training, it is important not to treat it as finished once someone can do it one time. The ground at worksites is not the same every time; conditions change—paved surfaces, soil, crushed stone, sloped ground, confined spaces, and so on. Newcomers should repeatedly practice installations not only at practice sites or in front of the office but under conditions close to those of actual sites. If they can perform the task in stable locations but cannot do so in confined or sloped areas, they cannot yet be considered ready for practical work.

Step 4 Confirm the meaning of the instrument point and the backsight point

For a newcomer who has learned how to set up the instrument, the next thing to focus on teaching is the meaning of the instrument station and the backsight point. In surveying using an optical surveying instrument, it is extremely important to set the instrument’s position and the reference direction correctly. If you begin measurements without understanding this, you may think you are measuring points correctly, but the overall position and orientation can be displaced.

An instrument point is a reference point for setting up an instrument. Points that are managed on site as known points or whose coordinates are known in advance are often used, and it becomes the starting point for surveying. For newcomers, explaining that entering the coordinates of the instrument point is the task of telling the instrument "where it is standing now" makes it easier to understand. If this input is entered incorrectly, the positions of subsequently measured points will be calculated under the wrong assumption.

Backsight is a reference point used to teach the instrument its orientation. The instrument point alone cannot determine which direction the instrument is facing. By sighting the backsight and aligning the direction, you set the instrument's orientation relative to the site's coordinate system. Explain to newcomers that checking the backsight is the task of "deciding the surveying orientation", and warn them that if this is done incorrectly, the measured points may be displaced as if rotated.

What newcomers often get confused about are the different roles of the instrument point, the backsight point, and the survey point. The instrument point is the position of the instrument, the backsight point is the reference for direction, and the survey point is the target to be measured. If they learn the operations while leaving these three ambiguous, they tend to mix up point names on site or select the wrong coordinates on input screens. In training, it is effective to have them organize the instrument position, the facing direction, and the point to be measured using drawings or simple hand sketches.

Also, with back-sight checks, aligning once and being done is not enough; rechecking during the work is also important. After the lunch break, after work has taken place near the instrument, on windy days, after people have passed near the tripod, or after long periods of work, you need to confirm that the instrument has not shifted even slightly. For new staff, instill the habit of performing back-sight checks at each milestone rather than waiting until the measurement values feel off.

When it comes to coordinate entry, instruct them to carefully check the number of digits, signs, units, point names, and how the coordinate axes are handled. New staff may feel reassured by simply selecting the candidate displayed on the screen. However, if there are similar point names or past data remaining, selection errors can occur. On site, always verify that the entered point name matches the point on the drawing, the on-site markers or stakes, and the contents of the record sheet. This verification is the crucial training that turns new staff from mere operators into responsible field personnel.

Step 5 Make safety checks during sighting and measurement a habit

In measurements with an optical surveying instrument, properly sighting the target is indispensable. Newcomers tend to focus on operating the machine's screen and are slow to confirm where they are actually looking, whether the mirror is correctly set up, and whether the surroundings are safe. Teaching sighting and safety checks together makes them easier to acquire as actions that can be used in the field.

For sighting, the basic principle is to capture the object being measured accurately. When using a mirror, check that the mirror's center is being correctly sighted, that the pole is being held vertically, and that the mirror height matches the entered value. If the person holding the pole measures while leaning, it can affect the position and height. Ensure new staff understand that not only the operator on the machine side but also the movements of the operator on the mirror side influence the survey results.

Checking focus and line of sight is also important. If you measure while the focus is off or the target is easily mistaken, you may end up measuring the wrong point. In particular, in locations where similar stakes or markers are lined up, where there are many materials or temporary structures, or where the target appears small at a long distance, you should call out to each other before measuring and mutually confirm the target point. Require newcomers not to measure when unsure and to verify before measuring if anything feels off.

During safety checks, you must look both around the machine and at the mirror side. Near the machine, hazards include tripping over tripod legs, pedestrians coming into contact with equipment, entering the swing radius of heavy machinery, and blocking material delivery routes. On the mirror side, pay attention to footing when reversing, steps, openings, slopes, vehicle traffic, and proximity to suspended loads. Make it clear to new employees that site safety rules take precedence even during measurement work.

Establishing rules for verbal communication during initial training is also effective. Simply having basic calls—confirming the target point before measuring, communicating the mirror height, announcing when a measurement is complete, and checking the surroundings before moving—makes it easier to prevent mixing up measurement points and to reduce hazardous actions. New staff should be encouraged to develop the habit of giving brief verbal confirmations rather than moving silently.

Also, pay attention to environmental conditions during measurements. Rain, fog, strong sunlight, heat shimmer, wind, vibration, darkness, obstacles, and the like can affect the stability of aiming and ranging. Teach newcomers to report variability in measurement results or poor visibility to their training supervisor instead of trying to continue work when conditions are bad. Part of training is cultivating an atmosphere where newcomers do not leave situations they cannot judge on their own and can consult others early.

Step 6 Make it possible to detect errors through recording and reconciliation

In training new operators of a total station, it is essential to teach not only measurement techniques but also the habit of recording and verification. In surveying work, merely obtaining numbers in the field is not sufficient. By retaining information in a form that can be checked later—such as the survey point name, measurement date and time, instrument station, backsight point, mirror height, operator, measurement target, site conditions, and whether re-measurements were performed—the reliability of the survey results is increased.

Newcomers tend to feel that the task is complete once the measurements are finished. However, in actual work the process includes checking that the measured values do not significantly contradict the drawings, known points, past records, or the appearance of the site. If you let them operate without teaching how to record and cross-check, mistakes such as mixing up point names or making input errors may go undiscovered until later stages.

The first thing I want to teach is to manage measurement point names in a way that is easy to understand. On site, there may be multiple points with similar names. For new staff, instruct them to verify measurement point names against drawings and instruction sheets before entering them, and to leave notes as needed. If point names are recorded while still ambiguous, it can become unclear later which location was measured, making rechecks and rework more likely.

Next, make simple on-site checks routine. Checks such as measuring known points to confirm there are no large discrepancies, remeasuring the same point to compare differences, verifying that the distances to adjacent points match the site’s appearance, and confirming that a measurement is not drastically different from the preceding and following points can be learned step by step even by newcomers. You don’t need to expect advanced judgment from the start, but it is important to cultivate the ability to notice when something might be wrong.

In records, it is helpful to record not only the numbers but also the conditions. For example, information such as poor visibility, strong winds, obstacles around the target point, repeated measurements, or the use of temporary markers can be important when reviewing survey results later. Teach newcomers to leave notes that allow someone who reads them later to understand the situation, rather than striving to write perfect prose.

For verification training, it is effective for the trainer to set aside time to review a newcomer's records together. Immediately after measuring on site, compare point names, coordinates, photos, notes, and drawings to point out what is clear and what is lacking. If feedback is given long after the work, the newcomer will find it difficult to recall the circumstances at that time. Reflecting as early as possible makes it easier to incorporate improvements into the next task.

Teaching Approaches to Avoid in New Employee Training and How to Embed Learning in the Workplace

What you should avoid in total station training is a teaching approach that rushes trainees to memorize procedures only. When the site is busy, trainers tend to end up saying "do it this way" and only teaching the operations. However, that method won't enable newcomers to make their own judgments. Even if they can perform tasks by following on-screen prompts, they will remain unable to notice problems such as the instrument station being wrong, the backsight being wrong, the prism height being wrong, or the survey point name being wrong.

Also, avoid leaving someone to work alone too much from the start. Even if a newcomer appears able to operate the equipment to some extent, they may not understand the assumptions behind surveying. In the early stages of training, it is safer for the trainer to check each stage—preparation, setup, backsight confirmation, measurement, recording, and verification—and gradually expand the range of tasks entrusted. In particular, the setting of instrument stations and backsight points, the selection of coordinate data, and on-site verification of reference points should always be done with a verifier present until the trainee becomes accustomed to them.

Education that consists only of scolding is not effective. Because surveying errors have a large impact on the site, strictness is necessary, but simply scolding without confirming why the mistake occurred does not lead to improvement. When a newcomer misidentifies a point name, check together whether they did not understand how to read the drawings, whether there were many similar names, whether verbal prompting was insufficient, or whether the recording method was unclear. Once the cause is understood, training methods and on-site rules can be improved.

To ensure adoption, it is effective to integrate checklist items into the on-site workflow. Before work, check the equipment and accessories; after installation, check centering and leveling; before measurement, check the instrument point and backsight; during measurement, check mirror height and the target point; after work, reconcile the records with the data. Performing this sequence in the same order every time makes it easier for newcomers to learn a pattern for decision-making. To prevent checks from being merely formal, it is important to explain the meaning of each item and have workers verbally confirm them on site.

It is also recommended to keep training records. If you record which new hires have experienced which tasks and how much they can do on their own, you can avoid unreasonable delegation at the next site. For example, sharing statuses such as “can set up a tripod but needs confirmation for backsight settings,” or “can perform measurements but is still being instructed on organizing records” will allow continuous development even if the person in charge of training changes.

Furthermore, practicing not only in actual field work but also in the office or yard is effective. On site there are time and safety constraints, and newcomers may have little opportunity to learn by retrying multiple times. Practicing in a relatively calm place—setting up the tripod, centering and leveling the instrument, sighting, entering point names, and checking records—can reduce confusion on site. Repeating these tasks in an environment where mistakes have little consequence leads to more composed performance in actual work.

Summary Education for total station surveying instruments should focus on training operators who can perform verifications.

In training new operators on total stations, it is more important to develop workers who can verify their work than to have them learn the operations quickly. Ensure they understand the purpose of the survey, handle the instrument and accessories correctly, perform setup and leveling carefully, grasp the meaning of the instrument station and backsight, make sighting and safety checks routine, and be able to detect mistakes through recording and cross-checking. By teaching these steps in order, newcomers will find it easier to work steadily in the field.

A total station is a convenient surveying instrument, but it only yields reliable results when used with correct assumptions and checks. An important responsibility of trainers is to teach newcomers not to accept the values displayed on the screen at face value, but to consider what reference those values were derived from, whether they conflict with conditions on site, and whether they will serve as usable records later.

Also, training does not end with a single explanation. When site conditions change, so do the difficulty of installation, the ease of alignment, and what needs to be recorded. For newcomers, it is necessary to have them repeatedly practice basic procedures and, through post-task reviews, gradually develop their judgment. Rather than simply blaming failures, it is important to put verification processes in place and build a workplace that prevents the same mistakes from being repeated.

In recent years, the ways to utilize on-site survey records and location information have been expanding. After properly teaching the fundamentals of surveying with a total station, considering record sharing, linking records to photos, visualizing site conditions, and applying the data to construction management can further enhance the effectiveness of new employee training. In training new staff, it is important not only to teach equipment operation but also to cultivate an awareness of organizing survey results in a form that is easy to verify in later processes and preserving them as records that can be used across the entire site.