ForConstructionPros.com

John Ball

In this series, Paving Crew Role Call, paving specialist and National Pavement Expo featured speaker John Ball, Top Quality Paving, will discuss the responsibilities and skills needed for each position on a paving crew. The series will give contractors insights into the skills, type of person, and responsibilities each position requires, and it can also be used to develop job descriptions for an employee manual.

Probably the most knowledgeable person on a paving crew, the foreman has the crucial job of overseeing the entire on-the-job operation while making split-second decisions and keeping lines of communication open among all parties. That's why he's "the negotiator."

The foreman is the contractor's eyes and ears on the job. He's responsible for communicating the client's and contractor's expectations of the job into the field, executing the work so those expectations are met, and balancing often conflicting expectations. He's responsible for communicating with the client in the field, negotiating change orders, maintaining or adjusting schedules, monitoring work locations, tracking delivery schedules from the plant and haul trucks - all while keeping his crew upbeat, productive, and working with an eye on the goal of quality work for a satisfied customer.

Wanted: Experience
It's rare the young or inexperienced worker can handle all that - while knowing the responsibilities of each crew member, how to operate each piece of equipment, and how to get the paving job done.

So the first thing a foreman needs is experience - on the various pieces of equipment, on various paving jobs, with customers, with the office, and with the plant. He has to have a "been there, done that" kind of attitude so he understands what his workers are encountering and what his clients are demanding. And that experience and attitude has to manifest itself in an ability to lead, to command respect, to be the authority on the site, and to be the responsive decision maker. That's why he or she needs to be experienced - and probably a little older.