Foreman - what kind of profession is this? Foreman's duties

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

When choosing a profession, a person must clearly understand what it is, and also have a complete idea of what knowledge and effort it will require from him. But sometimes people have the wrong idea about a particular speci alty. For example, in construction there is such a position - foreman. Who is this? What does he do and what issues does he solve?

The essence of the profession

You can start the discussion with the name. Often it is the underlying meaning. What does the name of the profession "foreman" mean? This is most likely a person who knows everything about the job. Dictionaries interpret it somewhat differently. By definition, a "foreman" is literally understood as a manufacturer of some work on the construction or construction of something. He belongs to the leadership category. From this it is clear that in his submission is a team of people who directly perform these very works. In short, a foreman is a person who, by virtue of his duties, directly manages the construction of a specific facility on a single site. Therefore, his competence includes:

• organization processproduction,
• recording of work performed by the team,
• monitoring construction deadlines,
• organization of work on the site entrusted to him, aimed at fulfilling the task assigned by the construction management: putting the facility under construction into operation.

What you need to know

The foreman is ultimately responsible for the quality of work performed by each of his subordinates. This implies that he has specific professional skills. In other words, the manager must be well versed and be able to do the work of any of his employees himself. Of course, he should not work instead of them, but he must understand and understand what they are doing. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to exercise control over them. Perhaps that is why each of the foremen has many years of experience in the past. After all, a variety of types of work are usually carried out on the site: general construction, electrical installation, finishing, welding, work on laying various kinds of communications, and others. And in each of them the leader must understand. In addition, he should also know:

1. Technology and organization of work in construction.
2. Procedure for maintaining design and estimate documentation.
3. Labor legislation. Rules of he alth, labor protection, safety and industrial sanitation.
4. Building regulations and work rules.
5. Existing standards for commissioning, start-up and acceptance of work performed.
6. Basic economic concepts.
7. The order of relations between customers and contractors(subcontractors).

The result is that the foreman is a unique middle manager.

What does the foreman do

The most difficult thing is to list the duties of the foreman. They are twofold. For his subordinates, he is a leader who monitors everything that is happening in his area. And for the authorities, he is a person who bears full responsibility for the work entrusted to him. As a result, a rather capacious and heavy load falls on the shoulders of the foreman. On the basis of the prepared project documentation, he must plan on the spot each stage of the work performed and control its implementation. To do this, he needs to constantly monitor the availability, as well as timely deliveries of raw materials and materials. He must provide the construction site with personnel and bear full responsibility for each of them. In addition, the foreman is obliged to create the necessary working conditions at the facility that meet all the rules and regulations. After all, now it is he who will be responsible for the he alth of each employee for the entire period of construction. And he is directly involved in the calculation of all their salaries. The foreman must organize the work at his site in such a way as not to violate the deadlines approved by the contract. He is also responsible for this. Among other things, the duties of the foreman also include the preparation of documentation for accounting for work performed and current scheduled reporting. So it turns out that any object turns out exactly the way the foreman sees it.

Closest helper

Managers of different levels take part in the organization of the construction process. The foreman reports directly to the construction manager. But he alone would never have been able to resolve all issues so quickly. For these purposes, to help him in the state there is a unit of the master. He is not just a subordinate, but a kind of right hand and faithful assistant. The master takes on the responsibility of preparing the work front. He must: study the drawings, draw up outfits, place people in their workplaces and provide them with everything necessary. The task is not easy. And who will be responsible for possible shortcomings or violations of existing norms? Master again. The foreman only organizes the process as a whole. And it is the foreman and the foremen subordinate to him who deal with specific issues on the ground. It is the master who is responsible for everything that happens on the site. And in addition, he still bears material and criminal responsibility for all his subordinates. If a brick fell on the head of a worker or he committed theft, then the foreman will have to answer for this.

Requirements for a foreman

A person applying for the position of foreman, in addition to specialized education and work experience in the speci alty, must also have such necessary qualities as high efficiency, self-organization, and the ability to work with people. He should not be afraid of responsibility. After all, that is his job. The foreman, among other things, should be a little economist and accountant, partly a personnel officer and a lawyer. He must be able to plan everything well: work, materials,performers. He will also need scheduling skills. In addition, he must be able to properly communicate with people and be as sociable as possible. It is necessary to strive to ensure that subordinates respect him, and not fear him. The ability to properly conduct a conversation and unobtrusively defend one's point of view will provide indispensable assistance to such a specialist in conversations with customers and conversations with management. Even his appearance and demeanor should betray him as an indispensable organizer and a good professional.

In life as in production

Everyone faces construction problems at least once in their life. Take, for example, the most common repair. If it's only about wallpapering or painting floors, then outside help may not be needed. But those who decide to renovate their living quarters “on a grand scale” will certainly need the help of a specialized organization. It can be a small private company or a large company dealing with individual orders. In any case, the construction superintendent will supervise the work on a specific site here. This is a person who, on behalf of the company, takes responsibility for the fact that the work specified in the contract will be performed at the proper level and within the approved deadlines. He leads a team of workers, each of which performs a specific function. In this case, the foreman does not just hand over the work and sign the documents. He organizes the work and can, if necessary, give professional advice to any of the workers. Such a leader in thisspecific situation is essential. And if necessary, he will explain to the customer all the points of interest to him.