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Construction Laborers

Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction 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, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Related: Cement Masons & Concrete Finishers  Excavating & Loading Machine & Dragline Operators, Surface Mining  Maintenance Workers, Machinery  Paving, Surfacing, & Tamping Equipment Operators  Pipelayers 
Industries: Construction 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
    • Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
    • Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
    • Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
    • Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
    • Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
    • Tend machines that pump concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster, or stucco through spray guns for application to ceilings or walls.
    • Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
    • Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
    • Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
    • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
    • Mix ingredients to create compounds for covering or cleaning surfaces.
    • Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
    • Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
    • Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
    • Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
    • Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement.
    • Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
    • Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
    • Grind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
    • Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
    • Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
    • Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
    • Position or dismantle forms for pouring concrete, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
    • Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
    • Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
    • Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
    • Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
    • Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
    • Smooth or finish freshly poured cement or concrete, using floats, trowels, screeds, or powered cement finishing tools.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
    • Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
    • Provide assistance to craft workers, such as carpenters, plasterers, or masons.
    • Apply caulking compounds by hand or caulking guns to protect against entry of water or air.
    • Operate or maintain air monitoring or other sampling devices in confined or hazardous environments.
    • Spray materials, such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco, through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.

    Skills

    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    Abilities

    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.

    Knowledge

    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    57240/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    27.52/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    64,190
    Yearly Projected Openings
    7110

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Adjustable forks
    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air compressors
    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Asphalt finishers
    • Axes
    • Bandsaw wheel
    • Belt conveyors
    • Bituminous material distributors
    • Blades or tooth or other cutting edges
    • Blow torch
    • Boring or sinking machinery
    • Burners
    • Calipers
    • Caulking guns
    • Cement pumping units
    • Chip Spreaders
    • Cold chisels
    • Combination pliers
    • Compactors
    • Concrete mixers or plants
    • Concrete spreaders
    • Coring equipment
    • Demolition equipment kits
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Drain or pipe cleaning equipment
    • Drilling machines
    • Dump trucks
    • Explosive initiators
    • Floats
    • Forklifts
    • Gas detectors
    • Gas generators
    • Gin pole and accessories
    • Graders
    • Grinders
    • Hammer drills
    • Hammers
    • Hand sprayers
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hazardous material protective apparel
    • Hoes
    • Hoists
    • Hole saws
    • Hydraulic rock drills
    • Hydraulic truck cranes
    • Impact hammers
    • Impact wrenches
    • Instrument tripods
    • Kettle exchangers
    • Ladders
    • Laser measuring systems
    • Leak testing equipment
    • Level sensors or transmitters
    • Levels
    • Lifting hooks
    • Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Measuring rods
    • Measuring wheels for distance
    • Micrometers
    • Mowers
    • Mud pumps
    • Paint sprayers
    • Paving breakers
    • Picks
    • Pipe or tube cutter
    • Plasma arc welding machine
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Plumb bobs
    • Pneumatic drill
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pneumatic sanding machines
    • Post hole digger
    • Power buggies
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power nail guns
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Power screwguns
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rakes
    • Remote reading thermometers
    • Respirators
    • Rollers
    • Rotary tiller mixers
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Saws
    • Scaffolding
    • Scarifiers
    • Scissor lift or lift table
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Shoring equipment
    • Shotcrete spraying equipment
    • Shovels
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Slings
    • Sludge or sewage handling trucks
    • Snowplow attachments
    • Space heaters
    • Spades
    • Sprayers
    • Squares
    • Staple guns
    • Stonemason hammer
    • Tampers
    • Tape measures
    • Theodolites
    • Threading taps
    • Tongs
    • Track loaders
    • Trenching machines
    • Trowels
    • Two way radios
    • Vacuum cleaners
    • Vibratory plates
    • Water samplers
    • Water trucks
    • Welding masks
    • Wheel loaders
    • Winches
    • Wire and cable pulling device

    Technology

    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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