Construction and extraction occupations

Operate self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand form the face and load it onto conveyors or into shuttle cars in a continuous operation.

• 2002 employment: 8,500
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud through drill hole.

• 2002 employment: 15,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Operate a variety of drills—such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic—to tap subsurface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. May use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.

• 2002 employment: 23,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures. Includes seismograph shooters. Excludes earth drillers, except oil and gas who may also work with explosives.

• 2002 employment: 5,100
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Erect and repair metal and wooden fences and fence gates around highways, industrial establishments, residences, or farms, using hand and power tools.

• 2002 employment: 27,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

• 2002 employment: 633,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Work experience in a related occupation

Help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons or tile and marble setters.

• 2002 employment: 59,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help carpenters by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist carpenters.

• 2002 employment: 97,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help electricians by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist electricians.

• 2002 employment: 99,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area. Excludes apprentice workers.

• 2002 employment: 29,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help painters, paperhangers, plasterers, or stucco masons by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties including using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist painters, paperhangers, plasterers, or stucco masons.

• 2002 employment: 31,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, or steamfitters by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties including using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters or steamfitters.

• 2002 employment: 79,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Help roofers by performing duties of lesser skill. Duties include using, supplying or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment. Excludes apprentice workers and report them with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation. Excludes construction laborers who do not primarily assist roofers.

• 2002 employment: 21,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Short-term on-the-job training

Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement, repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road or plow snow from roadway. Excludes tree trimmers and pruners.

• 2002 employment: 154,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.

• 2002 employment: 12,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Operate machinery--such as longwall shears, plows, and cutting machines--to cut or channel along the face or seams of coal mines, stone quarries, or other mining surfaces to facilitate blasting, separating, or removing minerals or materials from mines or from the earth's surface. Includes shale planers.

• 2002 employment: 5,200
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.

• 2002 employment: 11,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammer and wedges.

• 2002 employment: 2,700
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: About as fast as average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine.

• 2002 employment: 4,200
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove petroleum products from the earth and to find and remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.

• 2002 employment: 14,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Little or no growth
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Perform other tasks as needed.

• 2002 employment: 32,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: More slowly than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.

• 2002 employment: 18,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: Faster than average
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stick pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. May also perform similar services in mining exploration operations. Includes fishing-tool technicians.

• 2002 employment: 13,000
• Projected 2002-12 employment change: A decline
• Most significant source of training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

Last Modified Date: February 27, 2004

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