Description
Perform physical labor on construction sites, operating a wide range of hand and power tools. Prepare and clean sites; excavate and backfill; set braces and erect scaffolding; handle materials and equipment; assist skilled trades; and perform basic concrete and demolition work. Use small hoists, mixers, tampers, and surveying or measuring tools while following safety and housekeeping standards.
- • Clean and prepare sites to eliminate hazards.
- • Read plans and instructions to determine work activities.
- • Control traffic around work zones.
- • Signal equipment operators for alignment and movement.
- • Dig and backfill trenches; compact and grade earth using hand tools and tampers.
- • Position, align, and seal structural components.
- • Measure and mark layout lines and openings.
- • Load, unload, and distribute materials, tools, and equipment per plans.
- • Erect and dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, barricades, and ramps.
- • Set and strip concrete forms using hand tools.
- • Clean, lubricate, and perform minor repairs on tools and equipment.
- • Operate jackhammers and drills to break concrete or pavement.
- • Screed, float, and finish concrete surfaces.
- • Operate air-monitoring or sampling devices in confined or hazardous areas.
- • Assist in installing sewer, water, or storm drain pipes.
- • Assist carpenters, masons, and other craft workers.
- • Tend pumps, compressors, and generators to power tools or move or heat materials.
- • Apply cleaning or protective compounds to surfaces.
- • Place, consolidate, and protect cast-in-place concrete or masonry.
- • Mix, pour, and spread concrete with portable mixers.
- • Grind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces using abrasive tools.
- • Tend machines that pump or spray concrete, grout, plaster, or stucco.
- • Mix compounds for cleaning, coating, or sealing.
- • Demolish structures and salvage materials.
- • Spray materials to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
- • Apply caulk to seal against water or air.
- • Support green construction practices, including waste management, material reuse, and erosion controls.
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Construction
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Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
