Civil Foreman

Foreman Duties. A civil foreman manages workers, motivating them to complete projects on schedule. The foreman ensures that the crew complies with site rules and regulations while monitoring their work quality.

Civil Foreman Education and Training

Some civil foremen are high school graduates who gradually work their way up to the position. Others possess an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in construction management or a similar discipline. All candidates should demonstrate a track record of success in lower roles, such as assistant foreman, before attempting to land this managerial position.

Civil Foreman Duties and Responsibilities

The project itself will dictate much of a civil foreman’s specific tasks, but numerous core responsibilities are common to most positions. Based on our analysis of job postings, aspiring civil foremen should be prepared to do the following:

Oversee a Team

Construction projects are group efforts, and civil foremen monitor team members to ensure operations flow. They may hire people and schedule their work hours. On the construction site, they communicate instructions, inspect work, and sometimes work side-by-side with their charges to demonstrate techniques or help out.

Handle Workers

Good morale increases productivity, so civil foremen try to keep the team’s energy and spirits up. They may step in to resolve issues between workers or fire employees who don’t pull their weight. Civil foremen also deal with worker-related concerns such as payroll.

Meet with Supervisors

Different people have an interest in how a project is going. With their first-hand knowledge of what is happening at the site, civil foremen get called upon to provide updates and answer questions for project engineers, leaders, and clients. If management decides to make changes to the original plans, it discusses them with civil foremen so they can relay new information to their team.

Follow Procedures

Safety is a priority at all constructions sites. Civil foremen make sure workers know and carry out safety rules, such as wearing hard hats and other protective gear. These leaders also are well-versed on governmental and local policies, and they watch that their team’s actions correspond with these rules.

Civil Foreman Skills and Qualifications

Successful civil foremen are top-notch communicators. Their ability to explain things clearly to workers helps things to be built as planned and decreases costly mistakes or delays. Civil foremen also must be able to convey information to other leaders so that they have a clear picture of what is going on. Other abilities critical to performing the job include:

• Industry knowledge– comfort using construction tools, ability to read blueprints, and mastery of safety and governmental rules
• Leadership – others look to civil foremen for guidance, so they need to be competent motivators and decision-makers capable of getting the best out of everyone
• Physical requirements – civil foremen spend a good deal of time on their feet moving around the construction site and may need to assist with carrying items or performing labor
• Planning and organizing – figuring out the number of workers needed, how to organize time, and the best way to get things done

Multitasking – with demands coming in from several directions, civil foremen need to prioritize where to give their attention