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Construction Laborer Jobs – What is the Job of a Construction Worker? What does a Construction Laborer Job Involve?

Construction workers can be found on every construction site across America, performing a variety of tasks, whether they be building, highway, roadway construction, residential and commercial building, mining excavation, or demolition.

Most construction laborer jobs require strength and experience, but other than that construction worker jobs require very little skill. Most construction worker careers will specialize in a particular area of work such as residential housing, while others will perform a wide variety of tasks during different stages of building.

Construction workers will first clean and prepare the sites that will be built on, removing trees and trash, tending to existing power and water lines, and then building forms in order to pour concrete.

Construction laborers will also create and take apart scaffolding, and load and unload building materials for the job site. Construction worker jobs will also tend to basic machines such as concrete mixers or use spray guns in order to apply cement or concrete to ceilings, walls, or floors.

Most construction workers will usually perform a supplementary role to more experienced construction professionals such as carpenters, machinery operators, and masons.

Other roles that a construction worker job can include involve the installation and maintenance of traffic devices, working on highway construction sites installing barricades and cones, digging trenches in order to install drainpipes, and placing concrete on the roadways.

Construction laborers may also operate laser equipment which will identify underground electrical wiring and pipes, and construction workers will also transport explosives for road or tunnel construction.

More specialized construction workers will help remove asbestos, lead, and other hazardous chemicals from buildings. The variety of equipment that a construction laborer can operate include jackhammers, tampers, mortar mixers, torches, laser equipment, and surveying equipment. Construction workers may also operate computers in order to control robotic pipe cutters, and they must often work is a part of a team with other more skilled construction professionals.

Working Conditions for Construction Labor Jobs – How is the Working Environment for Construction Worker Jobs?

Most laborer jobs are physically demanding and very strenuous on the body. Construction worker jobs can include working on high ladders, working around toxic chemicals, and having to deal with loud noises and dangerous machinery.

Most construction workers will labor in 8 hour shifts, with overnight work needed if construction work is being conducted on roadways. In order to prevent injury, most construction laborers will wear protective safety clothing such as chemical suits, gloves, and earplugs depending on their particular job.

Construction Worker Education – How to Become a Construction Laborer – How to Receive Your Construction Training

Construction worker jobs have no requirements other then basic on the job training. Most construction workers will obtain employment through help agencies, which will send them to jobs for short term work. Construction laborers will usually perform routine tasks such as cleaning the work site and unloading materials, and they will learn more difficult tasks such as operating equipment under the tutelage of a more experienced construction laborer.

Some construction worker jobs will require formal training at a vocational school or community college, especially those who work for a construction union. Union construction apprentices will usually receive between 2 to 4 years of classroom and on the job training, learning skills such as how to read blueprints, how to use construction equipment, and proper job site safety and health.

The rest of these construction courses include specialized skills such as building construction, hazmat removal, and environmental remediation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will typically offer hazmat training courses for those construction workers who are going to handle toxic materials and chemicals such as asbestos and lead.

Construction Training Requirements – How to Become a Construction Laborer

Construction worker certification is skill specific, and a construction laborer can receive certifications in scaffolding, concrete finishing, welding, and other construction tasks. Laborers may wish to gain experience and move on to more skilled construction opportunities, such as becoming a welder or a pipe fitter.

Other skills that a construction worker job requires include an understanding of Spanish in order to be able to understand Mexican construction workers, and to have good skills in dealing with clients if one hopes to advance in the field and become a construction supervisor.

Construction Workers Employment – What is a Construction Work Job?

Over the next decade, construction worker jobs should grow by about 11%, with most of the growth expected to result from increased building as the result of the housing boom. Negative factors affecting construction laborer employment will include increased automation which will eliminate the positions of some workers, and more employers are relying on part time staff instead of fulltime construction laborers.

Job prospects for construction employment mostly depend on location, and it is important to note that a housing bust or slowdown can result in periods of unemployment.

Construction Labor Pay Scale – How Much Do Construction Worker Jobs Earn?

In 2006, construction worker jobs had a median hourly wage rate of $12.66, with those working in commercial building construction having the highest rate of pay at $13.62, and those working for temporary agencies having the lowest rate of pay at $9.90 an hour.

Earnings will also fluctuate for construction labor jobs due to poor weather and downturns in the housing market. Union construction workers usually receive higher rates of pay and belong to the Laborers International Union of North America.