Demolition worker

A demolition worker

Description

Demolition workers operate equipment to demolish structures. They safely destroy buildings and remove the debris to permit the site to be used for a different purpose.

Excludes blasters.

The duties of a demolition worker include, but are not limited to:

  • Using hand or power tools, heavy machinery, and explosives to down old or unsound building structures.
  • Directing cars away from demolition job sites.
  • Signaling heavy equipment operators to ensure that heavy machinery and equipment are correctly positioned.
  • Performing maintenance on all tools, machinery, and equipment to ensure that they are in good working order.
  • Assessing building structures to identify their structural components and determine the most efficient methods to perform demolitions.
  • Examining job site surroundings to determine whether the use of explosives may be too dangerous.
  • Stripping building structures of any valuable or reusable materials, such as pipes, radiators, and steel beams.
  • Removing debris, rubble, and hazardous materials from job sites.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to demolition worker:

mattockwoman
topwoman
demolition and dismantling worker
demolition site worker
demolition labourer
demolition project worker
demolition operations worker
mattockman
demolition experienced worker
topman
demolition reclamation operative

Minimum qualifications

A high school diploma is generally the minimum required to work as a demolition worker.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Demolition worker is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Demolition worker career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to demolition worker.

dismantling worker
tower crane operator
bulldozer operator
grader operator
road roller operator

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of demolition worker. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of demolition worker with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

demolition supervisor
dismantling supervisor
crane crew supervisor
sewer construction supervisor
bridge construction supervisor

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of demolition worker.

  • Mechanical tools: Understand machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of demolition worker.

  • Keep heavy construction equipment in good condition: Inspect heavy equipment for construction projects before each use. Maintain the machine in good working order, taking care of small repairs and alerting the responsible person in case of serious defects.
  • Work ergonomically: Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
  • Operate heavy construction machinery without supervision: Work with heavy construction machinery independently without the intervention of a supervisor. Take responsibility for your decisions and actions.
  • Dispose of non-hazardous waste: Dispose of waste materials which pose no risk to health and safety in a manner which complies with recycling and waste management procedures.
  • Transport construction supplies: Bring construction materials, tools and equipment to the construction site and store them properly taking various aspects into account such as the workers’ safety and protection from deterioration.
  • Work in a construction team: Work as part of a team in a construction project. Communicate efficiently, sharing information with team members and reporting to supervisors. Follow instructions and adapt to changes in a flexible manner.
  • Prevent damage to utility infrastructure: Consult utility companies or plans on the location of any utility infrastructure that may interfere with a project or be damaged by it. Take the necessary steps to avoid damage.
  • Secure working area: Secure the operation site fixing boundaries, restricting access, placing signs and taking other measures in order to guarantee public and staff safety.
  • Follow health and safety procedures in construction: Apply the relevant health and safety procedures in construction in order to prevent accidents, pollution and other risks.
  • Recognise the hazards of dangerous goods: Be aware of the threats posed by potentially dangerous goods such as polluting, toxic, corrosive, or explosive materials.
  • Operate jackhammer: Use a jackhammer, either manually or attached to a mobile piece of heavy equipment, to break up material.
  • Demolish structures: Remove a structure in a safe and efficient manner and dispose of the debris in a correct and environmentally responsible manner. Use a variety of tools and methods to demolish the structure.
  • Drive mobile heavy construction equipment: Drive movable heavy equipment used in construction. Load the equipment onto low loaders, or unload it. Judiciously drive equipment on public roads when required.
  • React to events in time-critical environments: Monitor the situation around you and anticipate. Be ready to take quick and appropriate action in case of unexpected events.
  • Use safety equipment in construction: Use elements of protective clothing such as steel-tipped shoes, and gear such as protective goggles, in order to minimise risk of accidents in construction and to mitigate any injury if an accident does occur.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of demolition worker. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Demolition techniques: Various methods of demolishing structures, like controlled implosion, use of a wrecking ball or jackhammer, or selective demolition. Usage cases of these methods based on type of structure, time constraints, environment and expertise.
  • Decontamination techniques: The methods and techniques used for the decontamination of waste by removing or neutralising the harmful substance.
  • Asbestos removal regulations: The legislation and regulations surrounding the removal of asbestos contamination from buildings or structures, the safe removal of contaminated materials and the regulations to avoid and prevent contamination.
  • Excavation techniques: The methods to remove rock and soil, used in an excavation site and the associated risks.
  • Radiation protection: The measures and procedures used to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of demolition worker. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Operate wrecking ball: Use a wrecking ball to demolish a structure or parts of it. Hoist the wrecking ball into the air with a crane. Drop the ball or swing it in a controlled manner to hit the structure. Prevent misses as the weight and momentum of the ball may destabilise the crane.
  • Sort waste: Manually or automatically sort waste by separating it into its different elements.
  • Demolish selectively: Demolish a structure, or part of it, using selective demolition. Identify the different materials in the building and assess their reusability and value. Remove any reusable materials without damaging them.
  • Dispose of hazardous waste: Dispose of dangerous materials such as chemical or radioactive substances according to environmental and to health and safety regulations.
  • Rig loads: Safely attach loads to different types of hooks and attachments, taking into account the weight of the load, the power available to move it, static and dynamic tolerances of all instruments and materials, and the mass distribution of the system. Communicate with the operator verbally or with gestures to ensure the safety and efficiency of the operation. Detach loads.
  • Operate laser cutting equipment: Focus a narrow beam of strong laser light onto a metal surface to evaporate the material and make a cut. Take the necessary safety precautions, including reflective safety wear and goggles.
  • Operate excavator: Operate excavators used to dig materials from the surface and load them onto dump trucks.
  • Keep personal administration: File and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.
  • Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
  • Operate oxygen cutting torch: Operate an oxygen cutting torch to cut metal, which uses an oxidation reaction combined with heat, allowing quick reaction with iron and steel but uneffective on other materials. Advance the flame at the right speed to allow the exothermic reaction to sustain itself through the thickness of the object to be cut.
  • Guide operation of heavy construction equipment: Guide a colleague in operating a piece of heavy construction equipment. Follow the operation closely and understand when feedback is called for. Use communication techniques like voice, two-way radio, agreed-upon gestures and whistles to signal the appropriate information to the operator.
  • Secure heavy construction equipment: Secure heavy equipment such as tower cranes or concrete pumps before, during, and after use to prevent damage to the machines, workforce or construction site. Take precautionary steps such as retracting the robotic arm of concrete pumps or bringing the hook block back to the jib.
  • Set up temporary construction site infrastructure: Set up a variety of temporary infrastructure used on building sites. Put up fences and signs. Set up any construction trailers and make sure that these are connected to electricity lines and water supply. Establish supplies stores and garbage disposal in a sensible manner.
  • Operate plasma cutting torch: Use a plasma cutting torch, which forces a narrow stream of plasma through a nozzle to melt metal, and a gas jet to blow the molten metal away.
  • Follow safety procedures when working at heights: Take necessary precautions and follow a set of measures that assess, prevent and tackle risks when working at a high distance from the ground. Prevent endangering people working under these structures and avoid falls from ladders, mobile scaffolding, fixed working bridges, single person lifts etc. since they may cause fatalities or major injuries.

ISCO group and title

7119 – Building frame and related trades workers not elsewhere classified


References
  1. Demolition worker – ESCO
  2. Demolition Laborer Job Description – Betterteam
  3. Featured image: By Patsy Lynch – This image is from the FEMA Photo Library., Public Domain
Last updated on August 26, 2022

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