.jpg) Cement workers at theLaborers' International Union of North America Training Center inDeForest, Wisconsin, 2010 | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
Occupation type | Manual labor |
Activity sectors | Construction,Manufacturing |
| Description | |
Fields of employment | Construction site, Yard Manufacturing |
Related jobs | Construction worker |
Alaborer (orlabourer) is a person who works inmanual labor typed within theconstruction industry. There is a genericfactory laborer which is defined separately as a factory worker. Laborers are in aworking class ofwage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is theirlabor. Industries employing laborers include building things such as roads, road paving, buildings, bridges, tunnels, pipelines civil and industrial, and railway tracks. Laborers work withblasting tools,hand tools,power tools,air tools, and smallheavy equipment, and act as assistants to tradesmen as well[1] such as operators or cement masons. The 1st century BC engineerVitruvius writes that a good crew of laborers is just as valuable as any other aspect of construction. Other than the addition ofpneumatics, laborer practices have changed little. With the introduction of field technologies, the laborers have been quick to adapt to the use of this technology as being laborers'workforce.
The following tools are considered a minimum for a laborer to keep with them:hammer,pliers w/ side-cutters,utility knife,tape measure,locking pliers,crescent wrench,screwdriver,margin trowel,carpenter's pencil orsoapstone, tool belt and one pouch (bag).[citation needed] In addition: afive gallon bucket with additional tools, toolbelt suspenders,water jug and lunchbox are recommended.
Mostsafety equipment that is consumed or work specific, for examplehard hat,safety glasses,hearing protection, gloves,fall protection,high-visibility clothing,concrete boots,respirator/dust mask andtoe guards[2] are provided by the employer as part ofconstruction site safety.
Personal safety equipment, for example, full leather boots (some long-time laborers believe steel toes are dangerous on the construction site; it is better to have crushed toes than toes cut off by the crushed steel - a belief proven wrong by several studies[3]), high-strength pants -canvas ordenim (some modify thighs with a sacrificial second layer of jean fabric cut from an old pair) -socks,lip balm, and climate-specificouterwear, are provided by the individual (unless laborers are instructed to work in a climate different from what they typically reside in, for example, high elevation).
Some of the work done by laborers includes:[4]
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As a manual labor occupation, to attract free workers the wages paid to laborers are higher than those paid in general to other types of unskilled workers (seedirty, dangerous and demeaning). In the United States, a union laborer earns equal or greater than most work available to anyone with a bachelor's degree. This is one of a few fields where someone without a high school diploma can still earn aliving wage. Union, heavy construction and highway construction laborers earn on average (2008 US) $25.47/h compared to 13.72/h for non-union laborers.[5] In addition to paid earnings, union laborers enjoy the benefits of medical insurance, vacation pay, pension plans, representation and vocational schools; totaling $45/hr (2012 US) and some with special skills earn 'over-rate' wages. It is not uncommon for youngcivil engineers,construction managers andconstruction engineers typical salary of (2007 US$) 40,000 to 60,000 to fall short of their union laborers average wages of 50,000 to 80,000.
However, unlike engineers, laborers are not usually employed full-time year-round and face significant hazards. The additional pay laborers receive is often balanced out by the lesser unemployment checks they receive while out of work and the disability checks they receive while injured—often debilitated for life. That is if unemployment and injury insurance is provided, which is often not the case unless they are labor union members. Engineers are also not immune to being out of work. In heavy civil work, some are employed on a project basis and mental injuries due to stress are a different but debilitating hazard. Because of the wide range of skills and ability to simply provide muscle, laborers often earn side-work as independent contractors andunder-the-table work.
In construction, the pay for laborers is low enough that planning problems can be solved by "throwing laborers at it." This can become a toxic and dangerous brew of unplanned work that slides forward on the blood and sweat of hard-working laborers—injury rates often soar. The value of work put in place by laborers and the value of avoided rework and increased efficiencies produced by the engineers' planning is a balance of resource utilization on any large project.
There are dangers associated with laboring. Many laborers are severely injured or killed in accidents each year while performing work duties.[6] Many who work as laborers for even a short period of time will suffer from permanent work injuries such as:hearing loss,arthritis,osteoarthritis,back injuries,eye injury,head injury,chemical burn (lime sensitivity),lung disease, missing fingernails and skin scars.[7]Alcoholism,drug use, anddrug abuse are common although most companies requiredrug screening for all new hires.[8] If a laborer is injured on the job they are immediately given a drug test.[9] If the test results are positive then they are ineligible for anyWorkers' compensation benefits.[10] There is a gray area for the use ofmarijuana due tomedical marijuana prescriptions. Some who have been dismissed for failing a drug test while possessing a prescription have been later reinstated with pay as having beenwrongfully terminated.
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The Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) represents laborers on public and private projects in North America. Some of the business representatives are laborers who have been so severely injured they can no longer labor. With a phone call and a good reason they will be on-site the next morning asking questions and demanding apologies for mistreatment of laborers.[11]
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