Every construction worksite needs a foreman with strong leadership skills to guide the crew and oversee the project. With that description, it can sound like the foreman’s responsibilities don’t take a lot of effort. However, that is not the case. There are many duties that a foreman needs to perform daily to make sure everything is done on time. Because there is a great variety of activities for this position, here you find an overall view of the site foreman’s roles and responsibilities.
CONSTRUCTION
A construction foreman is a key position in the job site since they are the bridge between management and workers. This means they will have responsibilities on both sides. Also, a foreman is a boss in the worksite, which makes this person responsible for any problems that come up during the construction.
Now, before we take an in-depth look into the construction foreman’s responsibilities, we will talk about the general job description of a foreman. Further, we will describe which requirements they need to meet to apply for the position.
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What is the job of a construction foreman?
The construction foreman will usually receive orders from the general manager or, in some cases, the business owner. The first part of their job will be identifying the different steps of the project. After, they will give regular updates to the client through reports.
Another part of the construction foreman’s responsibilities is hiring workers. In this regard, they need to make sure that these people have the required qualifications. Also, a foreman will have to evaluate their skills to decide which tasks they should assign them.
It is important to remember that a foreman would not be able to do their job if there is no previous manpower planning. For more information about manpower planning, check out this guide from Bridgit. Without this crucial step, the foreman won’t have the necessary workforce, which will lead to delays.
Once the workers are hired the foreman will also have to train them. This is included on the site foreman’s roles and responsibilities. Plus, they should make sure the workers are performing their activities according to the safety measures on-site.
Requirements to be a foreman
Usually, a construction foreman will learn the trade and work his way up. In some cases, formal education is not required, but they will need other skills. Things such as good verbal communication and strong math for budgeting purposes.
When it comes to a degree, you won’t require one but having that type of education in the field can put you ahead of the competition. Some of the formal training you can consider to end up working as a foreman could be civil engineering or construction management. Even when you can apply to the position without a degree, some employers could ask for vocational training or apprenticeship.
In case your employer doesn’t ask for any formal education, they will surely require you to have the following skills.
? Strong leadership
? Excellent communication skills
? Knowledge of all the aspects of a construction project
? Being able to teach and train new employees
? Math skills
? Being able to meet deadlines
Now that we have an overall idea of the role of a foreman and the educational requirements for this position. We are ready to take a look at the general foreman duties and responsibilities.
General foreman duties and responsibilities
Since there are different tasks for this position, we are going to divide the foreman responsibilities. In this section, we will cover the site foreman’s roles and responsibilities on-site, as well as, off-site. Also, we will look at what they have to do as supervisors and in regard to administration. Let’s get started.
Onsite
The foreman’s responsibilities onsite consists of checking the crew arrives on time and completes the work hours. Also, as we mentioned above, they have to check that everyone is following the safety protocols.
Another duty of a foreman is keeping regular communication with the architect and contractors. Further, you will notice that most construction foremen have a deep knowledge of the construction regulations. This will help them make sure that every process on-site follows the established requirements.
Finally, a construction foreman needs to make sure that both the workers and management are on the same page.
Offsite
Even when a foreman will be at the worksite most of the time, they also have office tasks. One of the main construction foreman responsibilities offsite is preparing a schedule for the different phases of the project. Here, they will also have to identify which steps have delays and come up with a solution.
When it comes to offsite activities, the foreman will mainly take what he reported on-site and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Supervising
Apart from hiring and training the workers, a foreman is responsible for disciplining the crew and evaluating the results. A foreman can also serve as assistance when workers have questions and guide them through the resolution.
Because there are different kinds of workers in the job site, the foreman needs to know the contract terms of all, unionized or not. That way it will be easier when they need to assign extra hours or take disciplinary action.
Administration
Within the construction foreman responsibilities, there is also a great deal of paperwork. They have to do evaluations of the personnel and keep their records from the time they are hired until the project is completed. A foreman will also do inventory and order materials, all of this keeping the client’s budget.
They will further create the schedule of the workers and make sure that they meet the determined hours.
Conclusion
The general foreman duties and responsibilities are varied and require a great deal of knowledge in the construction process. Because the foreman would be the leader of the job site, they should also have great interpersonal skills. A foreman should be the person that the workers look for to resolve an issue and not someone that creates delays. Remember, a foreman is a crucial part of any construction project, and without them, no one will guide the working crew.
