Construction Supervisor Job Description

The Construction Supervisor manages crews of skilled and unskilled workers at construction sites. The Construction Supervisor is known as foreman or forewomen are usually experienced construction workers.

Primary Objectives:

• The Construction Supervisor might hold a specific profession such as a bricklayer might supervise a crew of bricklayers.

• The Construction Supervisor reports to site superintendents, who are responsible for the efficiency of all crews on a construction job.

• The Construction Supervisors plan and schedule work and keep records of the materials used.

The Construction Supervisor is responsible for keeping a close record of the progress made on a job. Then the Construction Supervisor must make a report for the superintendent. The Construction Supervisor must also report on other things such as personnel, costs, and safety. The Construction Supervisor is responsible to maintain the safety rules making sure that everyone is trained and adherer’s to the rules. The Construction Supervisor is the one who communicates company rules and policies to the workers. The Construction Supervisor must meet with union officials in order to communicate grievances or complaints about their jobs in order to get a resolution. The Construction Supervisor must be familiar with union contracts and procedures.

The Construction Supervisor often works alongside the crew especially when the job is a small one. When the job is a large they usually spend most of their time in management activities. The Construction Supervisor must be able to read blueprints and plans. The Construction Supervisors advise qualified craft workers on the best way to handle certain tasks. The Construction Supervisors oversee the training of newly hired laborers. The Construction Supervisors must be experts in their craft and have a good working knowledge in the crafts of others. The Construction Supervisor must be able to communicate well with their bosses and fellow employee’s. The Construction Supervisor is very important to the completion of all construction jobs large and small.

The Construction Supervisor may work for a large construction company or in some cases they actually own the construction company and bid out on jobs. In this case working as the owner and the supervisor they are playing a duo role in the completion of the job. They must make sure that they keep the costs down on supplies and on the number of hours that their employee’s work in order to make any kind of profit. Many smaller Construction Supervisors who own their own company prefer to bid out on government jobs in order to have a better control over the project. Since most government jobs are maintained by the private sector when it comes to construction work the Construction Supervisor has a better chance of getting a contract than he would have getting a contract from the private sector.

Most Construction Supervisors are former union members who have worked their way up through the construction trade. A high school diploma is necessary to enter many of these trades and is desirable for those who want to become supervisors. Not many Construction Supervisors are college graduates but more and more construction companies are seeking out those who do have some college training. It does help to get the position if you have a specific trade and are trained in some of the math skills and computer skills. The Construction Supervisor does need to possess a thorough knowledge of construction. In most cases they learn from experience how a job should be done, what problems to anticipate, and how to correct these problems.

The Construction Supervisor who begins as apprentices and moves up to become experienced craft workers know what to expect from their workers. The Construction Supervisor must keep themselves aware of management policies and are sensitive to workers’ attitudes toward these policies. The Construction Supervisor must keep abreast of union negotiations and grievance procedures, which help them, avoid problems with workers. The employer looks for leadership ability as well as experience and skill in construction trades in order to hire their Construction Supervisor. The experienced trade worker can apply to the contractor for a position as a Construction Supervisor or a person who owns their own small construction company may make a bid on a job in order to obtain the work and become the Construction Supervisor.

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