Construction Laborers

Individuals who clean and prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards, dig trenches, mix and place concrete and set braces to support the sides of excavations. They load, unload, identify and distribute building materials to the appropriate location according to project plans and specifications on building construction projects. They also tend machines. They may mix concrete using a portable mixer or tend a machine that pumps concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster or stucco through a spray gun for application to ceilings and walls. Construction laborers often help other craft workers including carpenters, plasterers, operating engineers and masons. At heavy and highway construction sites, construction laborers clear and prepare highway work zones and rights of way; install traffic barricades, cones and markers; and control traffic passing near, in, and around work zones. They also install sewer, water and storm drain pipes, and place concrete and asphalt on roads. Construction laborers may also work at hazardous waste removal sites.