Rail layer

Rail layers construct railway tracks on prepared sites. They monitor equipment that sets railroad sleepers or ties, usually on a layer of crushed stone or ballast. Rail layers then lay the rail tracks on top of the sleepers and attach them to make sure the rails have a constant gauge, or distance to each other. These operations are usually done with a single moving machine, but may be performed manually.

Excludes people performing preparation activities such as bulldozing or scraping.
Excludes people performing electric power lines installation.
Includes people performing flash welding.
Includes people performing laying activities of tram, metro and light rail tracks.

The duties of a rail layer include, but are not limited to:

• Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
• Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
• Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
• Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
• Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
• Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
• Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
• Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
• Erect or dismantle scaffolding, shoring, braces, traffic barricades, ramps, or other temporary structures.
• Position or dismantle forms for pouring concrete, using saws, hammers, nails, or bolts.
• Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
• Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement.
• Smooth or finish freshly poured cement or concrete, using floats, trowels, screeds, or powered cement finishing tools.
• Operate or maintain air monitoring or other sampling devices in confined or hazardous environments.
• Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.
• Transport or set explosives for tunnel, shaft, or road construction.
• Provide assistance to craft workers, such as carpenters, plasterers, or masons.
• Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
• Mop, brush, or spread paints, cleaning solutions, or other compounds over surfaces to clean them or to provide protection.
• Place, consolidate, or protect case-in-place concrete or masonry structures.
• Identify, pack, or transport hazardous or radioactive materials.
• Use computers or other input devices to control robotic pipe cutters or cleaners.
• Mix, pour, or spread concrete, using portable cement mixers.
• Grind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines.
• Tend machines that pump concrete, grout, cement, sand, plaster, or stucco through spray guns for application to ceilings or walls.
• Mix ingredients to create compounds for covering or cleaning surfaces.
• Raze buildings or salvage useful materials.
• Spray materials such as water, sand, steam, vinyl, paint, or stucco through hoses to clean, coat, or seal surfaces.
• Apply caulking compounds by hand or caulking guns to protect against entry of water or air.
• Apply weather-stripping to reduce energy loss.
• Perform building weatherization tasks, such as repairing windows, adding insulation, or applying weather-stripping materials.
• Perform construction laborer duties at green building sites, such as renewable energy plants or wind turbine installations.
• Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.

Rail layers mostly work outdoors, in all weather conditions. They always work in a team with other rail layers, and under the supervision of rail construction supervisor.

Most rail layers work full time, although they may work part time too. They may work early mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays.

The following job titles also refer to rail layer:

plate layer
light railtrack layer
track layer
rail track layer
track machine operator
layer in railway sites
rail machine operator
light rail layer
tramway layer
railway line layer
railtrack layer

No formal educational credential is required to work as rail layer. However, most employers prefer candidates with at least a high school diploma.

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.

Rail layer is a Skill level 1 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to rail layer.

civil engineering worker
road sign installer
road marker
road maintenance worker
drainage worker

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

tunnel boring machine operator
mobile crane operator
rigger
sewer construction worker
tower crane operator

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of rail layer.

• Work trains: The composition and functions of a work train, a train composed of automatic machines that remove, inspect, adjust and lay railway ballast, sleepers and rails.
• Mechanical systems: Mechanical systems, including gears, engines, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Their functions and likely defects.
• Rail infrastructure: Thoroughly understand the characteristics of railway infrastructure: rail technologies, track gauges, rail signalling, rail junctions, etc.
• Mechanics: Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.

These skills are necessary for the role of rail layer.

• 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.
• Apply arc welding techniques: Apply and work with a variety of techniques in the process of arc welding, such as shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, submerged arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, and others.
• Apply spot welding techniques: Apply and work with a variety of techniques in the process of welding metal workpieces under pressure exercised by electrodes, such as projection welding, radius style electrodes spot welding, eecentric electrodes spot welding, and others.
• Apply thermite welding techniques: Weld using equipment that operates based on an exothermic reaction fueled by thermite.
• 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.
• Inspect construction supplies: Check construction supplies for damage, moisture, loss or other problems before using the material.
• 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 signs of corrosion: Recognise the symptoms of metal showing oxidation reactions with the environment resulting in rusting, copper pitting, stress cracking, and others, and estimate the rate of corrosion.
• Use measurement instruments: Use different measurement instruments depending on the property to be measured. Utilise various instruments to measure length, area, volume, speed, energy, force, and others.
• 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.

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

• Machinery load capacity: The maximum load capacity of the operated piece of machinery, under different circumstances and in different positions and movements. Passive load capacity and active load capacity, which is measure while in motion.
• Health and safety hazards underground: The rules and risks affecting health and safety when working underground. 

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

• Operate sleeper clipping unit: Operate a machine that installs metal fastening clips onto railway sleepers. Attach the rails to the sleepers securely by using manual equipment.
• Monitor rail pickup machine: Monitor the work train machine that picks up removed rails for transport. Make sure the rails are safely removed and loaded into a storage car.
• Operate rail grinder: Use a rail grinder to remove any imperfection or accretions from rails. Operate a handheld grinder or monitor the workings of a work train.
• 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 grappler: Operate a hydraulic grappler, an attachment to heavy machinery used to grab and manipulate cylindrical objects such as trees or pipes. Lift up the object, safely manoeuvre it, and set it down in the desired position.
• Pour concrete: Pour concrete into a form from a mixer truck chute, hopper or hose. Pour the correct amount to balance efficiency with the risk of the concrete not setting completely.
• Ensure rail tracks remain clear: Ensure removal of all obstacles, snow and any other debris from railway tracks, rail switches, etc., to ensure maximum rail safety and functionality.
• Maintain rail infrastructure: Inspect rails for cracks and damage, replace worn rails, tighten up loose screws, perform welding work if necessary. Maintain railway embankment, side walkways and drainage installations.
• Perform drainage work: Dig draining ditches and lay the pipe or gutter installation to allow evacuation of surplus liquid and avoid subsidence or other damage.
• Monitor ballast regulator: Monitor a ballast regulator, the work train component that arranges railway ballast for optimal stability. Report any problems or take the appropriate action.
• Monitor rail laying machine: Monitor the machine that presses down rails onto the sleeper. Report or take the appropriate action in case of any problem.
• Keep personal administration: File and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.
• Process incoming construction supplies: Receive incoming construction supplies, handle the transaction and enter the supplies into any internal administration system.
• 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.
• Screed concrete: Smooth the surface of freshly poured concrete using a screed.
• Inspect railways visually: Visually check the integrity of train tracks, sleepers, and ballast. This is usually done in reaction to reports from workers or detection by sensors.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Install railway detectors: Install detectors onto railway tracks and connect the wiring to the processor enclosure.
• Monitor tamping car: Monitor the work train car that tamps railway ballast to ensure stability. Report or take action if any problem occurs.
• Pave asphalt layers: Use different grades of asphalt to lay the asphalt layers of a road. Lay an asphalt base layer with low bitumen content to provide a stable surface, a binder layer with intermediate bitumen content, and a surface layer containing the highest grade material with the highest bitumen content to withstand the stresses of road transport. Tend a paver to lay the asphalt or use different techniques and instruments.
• 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.
• Coordinate construction activities: Coordinate the activities of several construction workers or crews to make sure they do not interfere with each other and to ensure that the works are done in a timely manner. Keep up to date on the progress of the teams and update the schedule if called for.

9312 – Civil engineering labourers

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References

1. ESCO
2. Rail Layer Career Information | Main tasks | Workypedia
3. Featured image: By Kecko from Eastern Switzerland – SBB – Track worker, CC BY 2.0, 0