A civil foreman is in charge of a construction crew that constructs structures and other structures. He or she will usually collaborate with an engineer to design and plan the project, and then supervise a crew of workers to carry out those plans. This person is responsible for overseeing the entire construction process from beginning to end, including hiring and firing employees, managing scheduling and payroll, coordinating material deliveries, keeping track of the budget, and managing day-to-day events and actions, among other things.
The civil foreman will report to the engineer and any other company managers who are above him as a manager. The foreman and his superiors should usually communicate on a daily basis to ensure that the project is proceeding as planned and to address any issues that may arise. Other direct aspects of the construction that the civil foreman must deal with include obtaining project bids from skilled laborers, finding and hiring employees, creating and sticking to a work schedule, ensuring that employees are paid, and ensuring that the project complies with all laws, regulations, and other guidelines.
The civil foreman is also responsible for the safety of the crew. In many cases, laws have been enacted in countries all over the world to ensure worker safety, and the civil foreman is responsible for ensuring that these laws are followed providing safety equipment and training employees to follow safety regulations. In many cases, the foreman is directly responsible for training workers in specific tasks, not only to ensure their safety, but also to ensure the quality of their work. The manager’s primary concern is compliance with various laws, and the foreman must be well-versed in these laws in order to avoid legal issues with a project.
While no formal education is required to work as a civil foreman, the more educated candidate often has an advantage in a competitive job market. Some employees can advance through the system working in lower-level positions until they are selected to lead a team, while others enroll in colleges or universities to study construction techniques and other sciences. When applying for jobs, a candidate with a college degree has an advantage over the competition; however, if he or she demonstrates leadership abilities and a strong knowledge base for construction techniques and skills, it is very possible to simply work one’s way up through the company.