Editing Laborer


{{Short description|Unskilled or skilled worker}}
{{Infobox Occupation
<!------------ Details ------------------->
| name           = Laborer
| image          = Laborers_%284596808922%29.jpg
| caption        = Laborers at work
| type               =  Manual labor
| activity_sector    = [[Construction]], [[Manufacturing]]
| formation          = 
| employment_field   = Construction site, Yard Manufacturing
| related_occupation = [[Construction worker]]
| average_salary     = 
}}

A '''laborer''' ([[American and British English spelling differences|or]] '''labourer''') is a person who works in [[Manual labour|manual labor]] typed within the [[construction]] industry. There is a generic [[factory]] laborer which is defined separately as a factory worker. Laborers are in a [[working class]] of [[Wage labour|wage-earner]]s in which their only possession of significant material value is their [[labour (human activity)|labor]]. Industries employing laborers include building things such as roads, road paving, buildings, bridges, tunnels, pipelines civil and industrial, and railway tracks. Laborers work with [[Rock blasting|blasting]] tools, [[Laborer hand tools|hand tools]], [[power tool]]s, [[air tools]], and small [[heavy equipment]], and act as assistants to tradesmen as well <ref>{{cite web |title=Occupational Outlook Handbook, Construction Laborers and Helpers |url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-laborers-and-helpers.htm|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |date=May 31, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240301060106/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/construction-laborers-and-helpers.htm |archive-date= Mar 1, 2024 }}</ref> such as operators or cement masons.  The 1st century BC engineer [[Vitruvius]] writes that a good crew of laborers is just as valuable as any other aspect of construction. Other than the addition of [[pneumatic]]s, 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]].

==Tools and equipment==
The following tools are considered a minimum for a laborer to keep with them: [[hammer]], [[Diagonal pliers|pliers w/ side-cutters]], [[utility knife]], [[tape measure]], [[locking pliers]], [[Adjustable spanner|crescent wrench]], [[screwdriver]], [[masonry trowel|margin trowel]], [[carpenter's pencil]] or [[soapstone]], tool belt and one pouch (bag).{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} In addition: a [[five gallon bucket]] with additional tools, toolbelt suspenders, [[Canteen (bottle)|water jug]] and lunchbox are recommended.

Most [[safety equipment]] that is consumed or work specific, for example [[hard hat]], [[safety glasses]], [[Hearing impairment#Long term exposure to environmental noise|hearing protection]], gloves, [[Safety harness|fall protection]], [[high-visibility clothing]], [[Wellington boot|concrete boots]], [[respirator]]/[[dust mask]] and [[Steel-toe boots|toe guards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ellwoodsafety.com/foot_and_toe_guards.html |title=Foot and Toe Guards  |website=Ellwood Safety Appliance Company |access-date=2016-12-24}}</ref> are provided by the employer as part of [[construction 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<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levesque |first=Adam |date=December 15, 2016 |title=Steel Toe Footwear - Are They Really Safer? |url=https://memicsafety.typepad.com/memic_safety_blog/2016/12/steel-toe-footwear-are-they-really-safer-.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203194557/https://memicsafety.typepad.com/memic_safety_blog/2016/12/steel-toe-footwear-are-they-really-safer-.html |archive-date=Dec 3, 2022 |website=MEMIC Safety Blog |publisher=Typepad}}</ref>), high-strength pants - [[Carhartt|canvas]] or [[jeans|denim]] (some modify thighs with a sacrificial second layer of jean fabric cut from an old pair) - [[sock]]s, [[lip balm]], and climate-specific [[outerwear]], 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).

==Types of work==
Some of the work done by laborers includes:<ref>{{cite web |website=Laborers' Local 185 |title=Scope of Work |url=http://www.laborerslocal185.com/scope_of_work.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312180836/http://www.laborerslocal185.com/scope_of_work.htm |archive-date=2008-03-12 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 31, 2008}}</ref>

*[[concrete]] – [[shotcrete]], [[Shotcrete#Shotcrete vs. gunite|gunite]], [[grouting]] and [[formwork]]
*[[demolition]] – [[concrete saw|concrete cutting]], pavement breaking, cutting and removal of interior building parts (framing members, doors, windows, wiring, piping, etc.)
*[[environmental remediation]] and [[hazardous waste]]
*[[fence]]s and [[landscaping]]
*[[Mowing]] and keeping construction site free of weeds
*[[Street sweeper|street sweeping]]
*Cleaning of the construction site and trash removal
*Setting up temporary lights, heaters and other things needed on site
*[[hod carrier]] – [[masonry]], [[plaster]]ers and [[fireproofing]]
*[[Pavement (material)|paving]] – white paving formwork, [[Road traffic control|traffic control]], [[road surface marking|striping]], signs
*[[piping]] – [[water pipe]], [[sanitary sewer|sewer]] and [[storm drain]]
*field [[technology]]
*general digging and grading
*[[tunnels]] – [[drilling]] and [[Rock blasting|blasting]]
*Dry utilities – [[electrical conduit|Electrical and communications conduit]]
*loading and offloading – handling of physical goods, such as construction materials

==Pay==
{{Globalize|section|date=December 2023}}
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 (see [[dirty, 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 a [[living 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Better Jobs |url=http://www.liuna.org/BetterJobs/tabid/55/Default.aspx |publisher=Laborers' International Union of North America |access-date=May 31, 2008}}</ref>  In addition to paid earnings, union laborers enjoy the benefits of medical insurance, vacation pay, pension plans, representation and vocational schools; totaling $45/hr (2012 US) and some with special skills earn 'over-rate' wages. It is not uncommon for young [[civil engineers]], [[construction management|construction managers]] and [[construction engineering|construction engineers]] typical salary of (2007 US$) 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 and ''under-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.

==Hazards and conditions==
There are dangers associated with laboring.  Many laborers are severely injured or killed in accidents each year while performing work duties.<ref name="LHSFNA">{{cite web |last1=Schneider |first1=Scott |title=Fatality Rates Falling for Construction Laborers |url=https://www.lhsfna.org/index.cfm/lifelines/june-2016/fatality-rates-falling-for-construction-laborers/ |website=Laborer's Health & Safety Fund of North America |access-date=30 March 2019 |location=US |date=2016}}</ref> 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 (mineral)|lime]] sensitivity), [[pneumoconiosis|lung disease]], missing fingernails and skin scars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=10 most common construction site injuries {{!}} 2015-07-13 {{!}} ISHN |url=https://www.ishn.com/articles/101859-most-common-construction-site-injuries |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=www.ishn.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Alcoholism]], [[Performance enhancing drug|drug use]], and [[drug abuse]] are common although most companies require [[drug screening]] for all new hires.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-30 |title=Construction Workers and Addiction {{!}} Risks and Statistics |url=https://www.orlandorecovery.com/resources/construction-workers-and-addiction/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=www.orlandorecovery.com |language=en-US}}</ref> If a laborer is injured on the job they are immediately given a drug test.<ref>"OSHA Clarifies When Post-Accident Drug Testing Is Permitted," last accessed 1/31/2020. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/osha-clarifies-when-post-accident-drug-testing-is-permitted.aspx</ref> If the test results are positive then they are ineligible for any [[Workers' compensation]] benefits.<ref>
{{Cite web |date=2013-02-04 |title=Injured at work, positive test for pot: Does he get workers' comp? {{!}} Safety News Alert |url=https://www.safetynewsalert.com/injured-at-work-tested-positive-for-pot-does-he-get-workers-comp/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> There is a gray area for the use of [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] due to [[medical marijuana]] prescriptions.  Some who have been dismissed for failing a drug test while possessing a prescription have been later reinstated with pay as having been [[Wrongful dismissal|wrongfully terminated]].

== Collective bargaining ==
{{Globalize|section|date=December 2023}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-13 |title=The Special Status of Union Stewards |url=https://www.labornotes.org/2018/04/special-status-union-stewards |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Labor Notes |language=en}}</ref>

== Images ==

<gallery>
File:(Albi) Un travailleur à Céleyran - Toulouse-Lautrec 1882 - Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.jpg|'Un ouvrier à Céleyran,' by [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]] (1882)
File:Laborer Resting, by Jean-François Millet (II).jpg|Laborer Resting, by [[Jean-François Millet]] (II) (1910)
File:Brick kiln workers (1).jpg|Laborer at a brick kiln (2018)
File:Stone laborer in Bangladesh.jpg|Child laborers (2011)
File:Laborers at Candi Sukuh, 2016-10-13.jpg|Laborers (2016)
File:Indian laborer at Boulder Dam during construction - NARA - 298637.tif|Boulder Dam project (1935)
File:(1919) pic05 - Chinese laborers constructing a drainage at an American aviation supply field in France.jpg|Laborers at an American aviation field in France (1919)
File:Laborers.jpg|Fab-yard laborers at a fab plant (2017)
File:Saigonese laborers.jpg|Laborer crew (early 1900s)
File:Laborers 2.jpg|Fab-yard laborers (2017)
File:Guano Chinese laborers.jpg|Guano laborers (bird guano was used for munitions) (1865)
File:Chinese Railroad Laborers.jpg|Central Pacific Railroad laborers (1867)
File:American Indian laborers (1906).png|Laborer crew (1906)
File:Panama Canal laborers ca 1900.jpg|Laborers (early 1900s)
File:Afghan laborers building a school in 2005.jpg|Laborers (early 2005)
File:France. Standing in a bog of cement, laborer wiring on the stiffeners. Workers in background have received load of... - NARA - 541671.tif|Concrete laborers (early 1950s)
File:Laborers at a Russian boarding house by Lewis Hines, Homestead, PA, 1909 (cropped).jpg|Pre-communist revolution laborers in Russia (1909)
File:Female laborers transporting volcanic sand for making concrete in Bali.jpeg|Laborers (2008)
File:Afghan day laborers help Marines fill sandbags (5224388587).jpg|Laborers (2010)
File:Portugal. On the site of the new mill, a laborer puts his shoulder to the job of dumping a loaded cart full of dirt.... - NARA - 541755.tif|Laborers (late 1940s)
File:FMIB 44419 Native Indian Laborers--Thlinket Packing Co.jpeg|Laborers (1908)
File:Laborers (4596808922).jpg|Unionized concrete road laborers (2010)
File:Laborers at the Top.jpg|Building laborer crew (2017)
File:Road Worker in Hokkaido Japan.jpg|Road maintenance worker in Hokkaido Japan (2012)
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Hard hat]], nickname for [[construction worker]]s
* [[Navvy]], particularly applied to describe the manual laborers working on British major civil engineering projects
* [[Working class]]
* [[Tradesman]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Labour}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Builders' labourers' trade unions]]
[[Category:Construction and extraction occupations]]
[[Category:Production occupations]]