Working alongside the Site Manager, a Foreperson is the on the ground operator who ensures that the work is being done properly, safely and on time. Let’s have a look at what a career as a Foreperson involves and how your career can develop.
What does a foreperson do?
A foreperson’s role is a mixture of direction, education and management. As a good foreperson you will also have a detailed knowledge of the construction industry in general, particularly in relation to labour laws and health & safety issues.
With a hands-on approach needed throughout the construction site, a foreperson will be responsible for:
- Overseeing site operations within a particular area of the site (large sites will have more than one person for this role)
- Maintaining health and safety records and ensuring health & safety protocols are well signposted and are being followed
- Providing supervision for labourers and external contractors
- Organising and leading on daily briefings relating to the project
- Ensuring deliveries are made smoothly and safely
- Meeting with management and other senior personnel
Role Responsibilities
Due to the nature of the role, in your career as a foreperson, there are very few roles on the site that you will not be in regular contact with. These include:
- Bricklayer
- Architect
- Quantity surveyor
- Site Manager
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Construction labourer
- Estimator
- Structural engineer
- Civil engineer
- Tiler
- Glazier
- Roofer
- Purchaser
- Health & Safety
- Documents controller
- QA/QC Engineer
Professional qualifications
Qualifications for this position vary, as much of it in order to be successful is down to experience and on the job learning. However for your career as a foreperson you will need to relevant Health & Safety training and to ensure you are SafePass accredited. Qualifications in any relevant construction trades or engineering and elements such as economics will also be of significant benefit in your career. Having good communication skills and an approachable manner, coupled with an easy to identify leadership style will also make your role work well within the busy demands of a construction project.
How your career can develop
Your career as a foreperson will develop significantly depending on successful experience. A successful career as a foreperson can see you specialising in particular areas of site management and overall site management itself. Having a detailed knowledge of some of the most common construction trends will help you identify any issues both early and swiftly. Continuous Professional Development is essential in order to make sure you keep abreast of constantly evolving technology in the areas of construction and engineering.