About This Career

Positions and secures steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete. Uses a variety of fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools. Includes rod busters.

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

A person in this career:

• Determines quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
• Spaces and fastens together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
• Positions and secures steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
• Cuts rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
• Places blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors.
• Cuts and fits wire mesh or fabric, using hooked rods, and positions fabric or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete.
• Bends steel rods with hand tools or rod-bending machines and welds them with arc-welding equipment.

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
• 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
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time
• Work at heights above 8 feet more than once a month on structures such as ladders, poles, scaffolding, and catwalks

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Maintaining a body position that prevents falling when in an unstable position
• Moving the arms, legs and torso together when the whole body is in motion
• Using muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly up close
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• 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