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Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
    • Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
    • Spray or spread refractory material over brickwork to protect against deterioration.
    • Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
    • Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
    • Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
    • Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel.
    • Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures.
    • Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
    • Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
    • Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
    • Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
    • Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
    • Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high temperature equipment, such as cupola, kilns, ovens, or furnaces.
    • Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.
    • Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
    • Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
    • Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.

    Skills

    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    Knowledge

    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Apprenticeship

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    92910/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    44.67/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    2,300
    Yearly Projected Openings
    220

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Abrasive stones
    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Air compressors
    • Angle grinder
    • Blocks or pulleys
    • Blow torch
    • Bolt cutters
    • C clamps
    • Caulking guns
    • Chalk lines
    • Claw hammer
    • Cold chisels
    • Compasses
    • Concrete spreaders
    • Concrete vibrators
    • Cutting machines
    • Desktop computers
    • Edgers
    • Floats
    • Forklifts
    • Gas generators
    • Grease guns
    • Grouting pump
    • Hammers
    • Hand sprayers
    • Hard hats
    • Hoes
    • Hoists
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Level sensors or transmitters
    • Levels
    • Lifts
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Masks or accessories
    • Notebook computers
    • Pallet trucks
    • Picks
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Plumb bobs
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Power chippers
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power routers
    • Power saws
    • Power screwguns
    • Pressure indicators
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Protractors
    • Pry bars
    • Razor knives
    • Rubber mallet
    • Rulers
    • Safety glasses
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Scaffolding
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Shoring equipment
    • Shovels
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Sledge hammer
    • Slings
    • Socket sets
    • Spot welding machine
    • Squares
    • Staple guns
    • Stonemason hammer
    • Tape measures
    • Tongs
    • Torque wrenches
    • Tower cranes
    • Trowels
    • Utility knives
    • Winches
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire cutters
    • Wood chisels
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software