Concrete, clay and stone forming operators

Concrete products forming and finishing workers:

• Build clay models and moulds by hand and with hand tools for use in casting concrete products
• Build and repair wooden forms used to mould concrete products
• Position reinforcing rods or wire mesh in moulds and fill moulds with concrete from suspended pouring buckets
• Start vibrating tables to settle concrete, or tamp concrete using electric vibrator
• Remove castings from mould with crane or forklift, and finish surfaces of castings using screed or trowel
• Cut cured concrete pipe sections with saw or chisel, and cement sections together to form odd shaped fittings

Concrete products machine operators:

• Set up, adjust and operate single-function machines to mix, drill, grind and cut concrete to specifications in the manufacture of concrete products
• Check products for quality control, repair flaws and perform ongoing machine adjustments and minor maintenance as necessary
• Move products using forklift, crane or hydraulic hoist
• Record manufacturing information such as quantity, size and type of goods produced.
• Clay products forming and finishing machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:
• Set up and operate automatic machines that mix ingredients, extrude tempered clay mixture and cut extruded clay into sections to make products such as bricks, drain tiles and porcelain insulators
• Run mechanical or hydraulic ram and hot-presses to form pottery and porcelain ware
• Prepare and mix slip and fill moulds with slip to form pottery and porcelain ware such as jugs, cups, sinks and toilet bowls
• Operate kiln to bake clay products to specified hardness

Clay products forming and finishing machine operators:

• Set up and operate automatic machines that mix ingredients, extrude tempered clay mixture and cut extruded clay into sections to make products such as bricks, drain tiles and porcelain insulators
• Run mechanical or hydraulic ram and hot-presses to form pottery and porcelain ware
• Prepare and mix slip and fill moulds with slip to form pottery and porcelain ware such as jugs, cups, sinks and toilet bowls
• Operate kiln to bake clay products to specified hardness

Stone forming and finishing workers:

• Run blade or wire saws to cut blocks of stone to specified dimensions
• Operate machines to grind and polish surfaces of stone blocks, slabs or other stone products to specific shape or design and to produce smooth finish
• Operate sandblasting equipment to cut inscriptions or decorative designs in stone monuments
• Finish stone products with spray paint and by mounting plaques or installing concrete bases
• Operate stone-dressing lathe to sharpen and dress grindstones that grind logs into pulp
• Run machine to drill holes in blocks or slabs of stone according to specifications

Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.