About This Career

Lays pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Performs any combination of the following tasks: grade trenches or culverts, position pipe, or seal joints.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Installs or uses instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels.
• Cuts pipes to required lengths.
• Connects pipe pieces and seals joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
• Covers pipes with earth or other materials.
• Installs or repairs sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems.
• Aligns and positions pipes to prepare them for welding or sealing.
• Checks slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.
• Lays out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors.
• Operates mechanized equipment, such as pickup trucks, rollers, tandem dump trucks, front-end loaders, or backhoes.
• Grades or levels trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 50 lbs., sometimes up to 100 lbs. You will need a lot of strength at this level.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Whole body vibrations, such as when operating a jackhammer
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel