Glossary
Construction Laborer Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential construction laborer terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key construction laborer vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in construction laborer training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Compaction
- Densifying soil or gravel to prevent settling.
- Competent person
- Someone designated by the employer who can identify hazards and has authority to correct them.
- Fall protection
- Systems like guardrails, nets and harnesses required for work at heights.
- Flagger
- A worker who directs traffic through a work zone using a stop/slow paddle.
- Formwork
- Temporary molds that hold concrete until it hardens.
- Grade stake
- A marked stake showing the required elevation.
- High-visibility apparel
- Fluorescent clothing with reflective striping worn in work zones.
- Housekeeping
- Keeping work areas clean and free of tripping and fire hazards.
- OSHA 10
- A 10-hour introductory construction safety course from OSHA’s Outreach Training Program.
- Rebar
- Steel reinforcing bar placed in concrete for strength.
- Screed
- Leveling wet concrete with a straightedge.
- Shoring
- Supports that prevent soil movement in excavations.
- Silica dust
- Hazardous dust from cutting concrete and stone, controlled under OSHA’s silica standard.
- Slump
- A measure of concrete’s consistency and workability.
- Trench box
- A protective structure that shields workers from trench cave-ins.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Construction Laborer practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Construction Laborer training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.