Construction and Extraction Occupations

Continuous mining machine operators
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

Derrick operators, oil and gas
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

Earth drillers, except oil and gas
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

Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
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

Fence erectors
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

First-line supervisors/managers of construction trades and extraction workers
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

Helpers—brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters
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

Helpers—carpenters
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

Helpers—electricians
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

Helpers—extraction workers
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

Helpers—painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons
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

Helpers—pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
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

Helpers—roofers
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

Highway maintenance workers
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

Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators
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

Mine cutting and channeling machine operators
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

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

Rock splitters, quarry
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

Roof bolters, mining
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

Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
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

Roustabouts, oil and gas
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

Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners
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

Service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining
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


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