Labourers and hammerhands work supporting qualified or skilled tradespeople on construction sites. They are found in all areas of construction, from residential housing, commercial sites, tunnels and highways to demolition jobs…

A good labourer or hammerhand will have physical strength, good balance, eye-hand coordination, and stamina.  Labourers are generally expected to be the first workers on the job and the last to leave.

Labourers and hammerhands may be used in one specific trade, or work in a range of duties. This often happens with residential developments, where they may assist in a rage of tasks from site excavation to finishing off cabinetry.

A days work for Labourers and hammerhands will include:

  • Preparing the worksite for professional tradespeople
  • Laying out tools and materials
  • Loading and unloading delivery vehicles
  • Keeping the work area safe
  • Tidying  at the end of the day

Some of the work done by laborers includes:

  • Concrete – shotcrete, gunite, grouting and steel forms
  • Demolition – concrete cutting, pavement breaking, cutting torch
  • Environmental remediation and hazardous waste
  • Fences and landscaping
  • Hod carrier – block masonry, plasterers and fireproofing
  • Paving – white paving formwork, traffic control, striping, signs
  • Piping – water pipe, sewer and storm drain
  • Field technology
  • Tunnels – drilling and blasting
  • Dry utilities – electrical conduit and communications conduit

Labourers and hammerhands may also help skilled workers in all areas of demolition or construction.