Career Details :: Construction Laborers
Description
Perform tasks involving physical labor at building, highway, and heavy construction projects, tunnel and shaft excavations, and demolition sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, clean up rubble and debris, and remove asbestos, lead, and other hazardous waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a drywall installer might benefit from experience installing drywall, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be an installer with little difficulty.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.
Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.
Tasks
- Mixes concrete, using portable mixer.
- Mops, brushes, or spreads paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean or provide protection.
- Mixes ingredients to create compounds, used to cover or clean surfaces.
- Lubricates, cleans, and repairs machinery, equipment, and tools.
- Cleans construction site to eliminate possible hazards.
- Grinds, scrapes, sands, or polishes surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
- Smooth and finishes freshly poured cement or concrete, using float, trowel, screed, or powered cement finishing tool.
- Tends machine that pumps concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster, or stucco through spray gun for application to ceilings and walls.
- Sprays materials such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco through hose to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
- Signals equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, and adjustment of machinery, equipment, and materials.
- Digs ditches and levels earth to grade specifications, using pick and shovel.
- Erects and disassembles scaffolding, shoring, braces, and other temporary structures.
- Razes buildings and salvages useful materials.
- Loads and unloads trucks and hauls and hoists materials.
- Positions, joins, aligns, and seals structural components, such as concrete wall sections and pipes.
- Measures, marks, and records openings and distances to lay out area to be graded or to erect building structures.
- Builds and positions forms for pouring concrete and dismantles forms after use, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
- Tends pumps, compressors, and generators to provide power for tools, machinery, and equipment or to heat and move materials such as asphalt.
- Applies caulking compounds by hand or with caulking gun to seal crevices.
Related Careers
- Helpers, Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Metal Fabricators, Structural Metal Products
- Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
- Stonemasons
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Performing General Physical Activities
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Repairing & Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Important Skills
- Equipment Selection
- Mathematics
- Equipment Maintenance
- Operation and Control
- Information Organization
Frequent Work Context
- Consequence of Error
- Outdoors
- Hazardous Situations
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Building Science |  [ add ] |
| Construction Management/Wood Products Engineering | [ add ] |
| Construction/Architectural Engineering Technology | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.