- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Education High school diploma
- Average salary $48,000 to $69,000
Career profile
Construction labourers perform a wide variety of tasks required to set up and clean up construction sites. They load and unload materials and equipment and assist tradespeople with various tasks as they need doing. These might include operating hand and power tools, cleaning and preparing sites, digging trenches, bracing for excavations, erecting scaffolding, cleaning up waste materials, mixing materials or securing attachments to equipment.
Construction labourers also clean up spills and remove hazardous materials like asbestos. They direct traffic at the construction site and maintain equipment as required.
Oil and gas services, Pipelines, Oil sands, Contracted and turnaround maintenance, Construction
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources
- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems
- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles)
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems
- Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work
- Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things
- Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft
- Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles
Education
- A high school diploma (or equivalent) is preferred, and on-the-job training is typically provided by employers. These are entry-level occupations.
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Pipeline Construction Safety Training (PCST)
- H2S Alive®
- Transportation of dangerous goods (TDG)
- Confined space entry
- Ground disturbance
Licensing
- Some occupations will require a valid driver’s licence and a clean driving record
- In Alberta labourers can get an Occupational Certificate after a 12-month apprenticeship.
- Travel likely required
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Work away from home/in camps
- Building and construction
- Public safety and security
- Mechanical
- Speaking
- Active listening
- Coordination
- Operation and control
- Operation monitoring
- Attention to detail
- Dependability
