A civil construction laborer works on foot among the machines on road, pipe and drainage jobs. They unload and stage pipe and structures, dig by hand around marked utilities, shovel bedding stone, run compactors in the trench, and keep the site clean and safe for the crew.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, heavy and civil construction · BLS, May 2025
Provide essential support to trades on civil and infrastructure projects by handling materials, assisting with site tasks, and ensuring a safe working environment.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist trades professionals by delivering materials and supporting various construction tasks.
Handle, organize, and maintain construction materials and tools.
Perform on-site clean-up and basic maintenance duties to ensure a safe and efficient work environment.
Support the setup and preparation of work sites in adherence to safety protocols.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Transport and distribute materials and equipment to designated job sites.
Execute routine clean-up and maintenance tasks to sustain an orderly work environment.
Monitor and report any site hazards or material issues to supervisors.
Collaborate with team members and trades on minor tasks to facilitate seamless project progression.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Material handling accuracy: 99%.
Daily productivity efficiency: 90%.
Safety compliance rate: 100%.
On-time task completion: 95%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Fundamental construction or labor experience is an asset.
Ability to safely lift up to 50 lbs and perform physical work.
Strong communication and teamwork skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience supporting trades in civil and infrastructure contracting projects.
Familiarity with construction site safety and material management.
Previous work in a fast-paced construction or labor environment.
Demonstrated ability to adhere to safety protocols and workplace guidelines.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs safely and repeatedly.
Standing, walking, and performing physical labor for prolonged periods.
Comfortable working in outdoor environments in various weather conditions.
Capacity to maneuver in confined spaces and dynamic work areas.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time, 40-hour work week with potential for overtime.
Work performed on active construction sites with variable environmental conditions.
Exposure to outdoor weather conditions and construction site hazards.
Occasional weekend work may be required during peak project periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $18 - $25 per hour based on experience and performance.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401k with company match available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of respect, collaboration, and continuous learning where every team member is valued. We are committed to your professional growth by providing a supportive and inclusive environment, cutting-edge training programs, and opportunities for advancement. Join us to build a rewarding career contributing to impactful civil and infrastructure projects.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
On a civil crew the laborer is usually the one person not in a cab. They work near the bucket, the trench, the backing truck and the open manhole, so knowing where not to stand matters as much as any tool skill.
Never under the bucket or the pipe
When an excavator lowers pipe or a trench box, a laborer often guides it into place. Under OSHA's excavation rule, nobody may be underneath a load that a digging or lifting machine is carrying. It also says workers stand clear of a truck being loaded or unloaded, out of reach of anything that spills or falls. A good laborer guides from the side, with a tag line where the crew uses one, and steps back while the loader fills a dump truck. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.651, specific excavation requirements.
Backing machines need an alarm or a spotter
Dump trucks, rollers and loaders back up all day on a civil job. Under OSHA's rules, an earthmoving or compacting machine with a blocked view to the rear may back up only if its backup alarm rises above the site noise, or if someone on the ground signals that it's clear. Trucks working where the public can't drive follow the same rule. A laborer is often the one giving that signal. Teach the signals and where to stand: in the driver's mirror, never in the path. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart O, motor vehicles and earthmoving equipment (1926.601 and 1926.602).
A manhole can be a confined space
Laborers set grade rings, grout pipe into structures and clean out inlets, sometimes from inside. OSHA's construction confined space rule names sewer and storm drain manholes as examples; trenches fall under the excavation rule instead. Before work starts at a site, a competent person must find each confined space and decide which need a permit. Anyone whose work falls under the rule gets training first, at no cost to them, in words they understand. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA, confined spaces in construction.
Finding the line by hand
An 811 ticket gets lines marked, but only roughly. OSHA says that as digging nears a utility's estimated spot, its exact location must be found by safe means. That often falls to a laborer with a shovel. In Alabama, for one, the tolerance zone around a marked line is its width plus 18 inches on each side. Inside it, diggers find marked lines by hand digging, potholing or vacuum digging, and keep a machine's bucket or blade at least 18 inches away. A 2027 rewrite keeps both rules. Source: Example state: Alabama SB205 (2026), amending Code of Alabama 37-15-2 and 37-15-8.
Bedding and backfill are hand work too
Pipe sits on stone that a laborer shovels in and tucks under its sides by hand, so it won't settle or crack once the trench is filled. Then the laborer runs a rammer or plate compactor in thin layers as the backfill goes in. The owner's tester checks density, and a soft spot under a new road shows up later as a dip in the pavement. Hire people who don't rush this part.
How much civil construction laborers make
Construction laborers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $22.83 an hour ($47,490 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $47,120 median for construction laborers in all industries. About 255,760 of the 1,096,780 construction laborers in that survey work for heavy and civil construction.
Hourly pay plus overtime, with a shot at the template's performance bonuses. Its range begins close to the bottom of the heavy and civil pay chart and ends a little above the median.
Heavy and civil construction
$47,490$47,490 median Middle half $38,860–$63,650 10th–90th $36,170–$84,410
All industries
$47,120$47,120 median Middle half $38,620–$59,740 10th–90th $35,090–$78,090
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Heavy and civil construction
$36,170
$38,860
$47,490
$63,650
$84,410
All industries
$35,090
$38,620
$47,120
$59,740
$78,090
BLS doesn’t publish pay for civil contractors on their own. These figures cover heavy and civil engineering construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Stays out of swing zones, out from under loads and out of drivers' blind spots
Gets the operator's attention and a go-ahead before walking up to a machine
Has the next pipe, gasket and lube ready so the pipe layer never waits
Stops and calls the foreman over at a cracking trench wall, seeping water or an unmarked line
Teach these on the job
Hand signals for backing trucks and lowering pipe
Holding a grade rod and reading a laser receiver
Running rammers, plate compactors and a walk-behind roller
Your confined space entry steps for manholes and inlets
Hand and vacuum digging around marked lines
Laborers work with shovels, rakes, tamping bars, a grade rod, cone and sign sets, rammers, plate compactors and trench pumps. If they go into manholes, list the gas meter, tripod and harness they'll learn to use, and say whether the crew rides out together from the yard.
Civil construction laborer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Trench hazard awareness
Your crew is laying storm pipe. You notice the trench wall near you is cracking at the top and small chunks are falling in. What do you do?
A strong answer: Gets out now by the ladder, warns others, tells the foreman, and stays out until the competent person checks it.
Behavioral · Awareness around traffic and equipment
Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you worked near traffic or moving equipment. How did you stay aware of it?
A strong answer: Kept eyes up, stayed where drivers or operators could see them, used a spotter or agreed signals, and never turned their back to traffic.
A laborer's numbers move with the crew, the soil and the weather. Compare laborers who worked the same kind of crew in the same months, and base targets on your best pipe crew's records.
Material handling accuracy
Count chipped pipe bells, torn gaskets, wrong fittings lowered into the trench and pieces left behind when the crew moves on, per week of pipe laid.
Daily productivity efficiency
The crew's output on the laborer's days, like feet of pipe bedded and backfilled, against the bid's daily rate, plus the foreman's note on whether they kept pace with the pipe layer.
Safety compliance rate
The foreman's spot checks: vest and hard hat on, clear of the bucket and blind spots, confined space steps followed, and hazards reported the moment they're seen.
On-time task completion
Count the times the pipe layer or operator stopped to wait on the laborer: stone not shoveled, the next pipe not rigged, the box ladder not moved. Leave out waits caused by a broken machine or a late load.
Career path
Civil construction laborerStages pipe, digs by hand, compacts backfill and keeps the job clean.
Pipe layer or grade checkerSets pipe to line and grade, or checks grade for the operator.
Skilled tradespersonForms, pours, lays pipe and runs small machines wherever the crew needs it.
Field supervisorTakes over a crew as foreman, often serving as its competent person in the trench.
Other roles in a civil & infrastructure contractors business
On some public jobs, yes, because a state says so. Missouri, for one, has contractors and subs on public works give on-site workers a ten-hour OSHA construction course, or a state-approved equal, unless they've had one. Each worker has 60 days from starting on the project to finish. Federal OSHA itself asks for no card: the 10-hour class is a voluntary awareness course, not a certification, and it stands in for none of the training its rules spell out. Teach your own trench, traffic and manhole steps either way.
How much does a civil construction laborer make?
Construction laborers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $22.83 an hour ($47,490 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $38,860 and $63,650 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can a laborer run the roller or the forklift?
Once trained. OSHA says a worker may run equipment only after being qualified through training or experience. Forklifts have a stricter rule. Training mixes formal teaching, hands-on practice and an evaluation at work, all before anyone runs one alone. Trainees drive only while a qualified trainer watches closely. For rollers and skid steers, log who trained each laborer, on which machine and when. On prevailing wage jobs, log machine hours apart from hand work, since the pay class can change.
What does "maneuver in confined spaces" mean in the template?
The template keeps its physical lines unchanged. For a laborer on a pipe crew, that phrase means climbing down a ladder into a trench box, working bent over beside the pipe, and now and then going into a manhole or inlet. Describe those in the posting, plus carrying fittings, shoveling stone and running a rammer, and say who applicants can talk to about an accommodation.
What does a laborer do on a pipe crew?
Often one laborer works up top and one in the trench. Up top, the laborer rigs pipe and fittings for the excavator, keeps the next pieces ready and watches the spoil pile and passing traffic. In the trench, the laborer seats each joint, shovels in bedding, holds the grade rod and moves the ladder as the box moves ahead. Rotate new hires through both spots so either can cover.
