General laborer job description template: tasks by site, PPE and boots, heat and heights, age limits, dispatch and travel time
On this page
- Which general laborer seat are you filling?
- The general laborer job description template
- Safety, age, overtime and staffing rules: the lines with sources
- From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
- Common mistakes in general laborer job descriptions
- Before you publish
- Questions people ask
A general laborer job description should list the actual tasks on this site (site cleanup, material handling, digging, loading, demolition support), the heaviest regular lift and the conditions (outdoors, heat, heights), the protective equipment you provide and what the worker brings, the age line if any task is barred to minors, the start time and check-in point, and how travel and overtime are paid. General laborers are always non-exempt. BLS put the national median pay for construction laborers at $47,120 a year in May 2025, and for laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand, at $40,240. The rules and sources below are as of October 2026.
"General labor, various duties, must be able to lift 50 lbs" is the most common posting in staffing and the one that produces the most first-day walk-offs, because it describes nothing a worker can picture. The fix is to write the order as the site supervisor would describe the day, then add the lines that protect the worker and the agency: PPE, heights and heat, age limits, travel time and pay. Below are the seat types, a copy-ready template, the safety, age, pay and staffing rules with sources, screening and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For the call itself, use general laborer screening questions; for a fixed warehouse role, the warehouse associate job description template is closer.
Which general laborer seat are you filling?
| Seat | What the day looks like | Line the posting needs |
|---|---|---|
| Construction site laborer | Site cleanup, carrying materials, digging, helping trades, setting up and breaking down | Heights, fall protection, hard hat area, outdoor conditions, any OSHA training the site requires |
| Demolition or remodel labor | Tearing out drywall, flooring and fixtures, hauling debris, dust | 18 or older if the work is wrecking or demolition; dust and respirator lines |
| Plant or production general labor | Sorting, packing, feeding lines, cleaning, moving material on carts or pallet jacks | Pace, noise, PPE, and whether any machine or forklift work is included |
| Day labor dispatch | A different site or ticket each day, dispatch from an office or yard | Check-in time and place, how travel is paid, the state dispatch notice |
| Grounds, moving or event labor | Landscaping support, loading trucks, setting up venues, early or late hours | Weather, lifting with teams or equipment, irregular schedule |
Then get four facts from the site: the three tasks that take most of the day, the heaviest thing lifted regularly and whether it is a team lift, the hours with the first-day check-in, and the equipment on site. BLS notes that construction laborers often work outdoors in all weather, sometimes at heights or in confined spaces, that employers often require safety training that meets OSHA guidelines, and that a driver's license may be required (BLS construction laborers and helpers, last modified August 27, 2026). For plant and freight work, BLS describes repetitive, physically demanding lifting and carrying, with schedules that may include nights and weekends (BLS hand laborers and material movers, last modified August 27, 2026).
The general laborer job description template
General Laborer — [Construction / Demolition / Plant / Day Labor /
Grounds], [Day / Night] Shift, [Temporary / Temp-to-Hire / Direct]
[Agency or company], working at [site type] in [city, state]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per hour, overtime at time and a half after 40
hours. [Weekly pay.] [Benefits summary, if required.]
SUMMARY
You will [clean up and carry materials for framing and drywall
crews / tear out interiors for remodels / sort and pack parts on a
production line] at [site]. Most of the day is [task 1], [task 2]
and [task 3]. Hours are [start] to [end], [days]. Check in at
[site / our yard at address] at [time].
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- [Task 1, as the supervisor would describe it.]
- [Task 2.]
- [Task 3.]
- Use [hand tools / power tools named] after site training.
- Wear the protective equipment for each task and keep the work
area clear.
- Report hazards, injuries and near-misses right away.
YOU MUST HAVE
- [18 or older, if any task is barred to minors.]
- Ability to [lift and carry N pounds regularly / work in a team lift
above N pounds], stand and walk most of the shift, and work
[outdoors in temperatures of N to N / at heights up to N feet with
fall protection], with or without reasonable accommodation.
- A reliable way to reach [site / yard] by [time], with a backup.
- [Safety-toe boots, if required.]
- [OSHA or site training card, only if the site or state requires it.]
NICE TO HAVE
- Construction, landscaping, moving or warehouse experience.
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.
WE PROVIDE
[Hard hat, vest, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, fall
protection, respirator with fit test if required.]
YOU BRING
[Safety-toe boots / work clothes for the weather / lunch.]
TRAVEL AND PAY
Travel from [our yard] to the site is paid. [Parking / transport
details.]
[EEO STATEMENT]
To request an adjustment to apply or interview, contact [contact].Safety, age, overtime and staffing rules: the lines with sources
Not legal advice. These points were checked against OSHA's standards and pages, the Department of Labor, the Code of Federal Regulations on Cornell's Legal Information Institute and BLS as of October 2026. State plans, state child labor laws and local rules can add requirements.
Training cards. BLS says formal education is not typically required for construction laborers and helpers and that training is short-term and on the job. Some states and cities require construction safety training cards on certain sites; the general laborer screening page covers those examples. Only put a card in the must-haves if the site or state requires it.
Who pays for PPE. Protective equipment used to comply with OSHA standards must be provided by the employer at no cost to employees; the employer does not have to pay for non-specialty safety-toe footwear or non-specialty prescription safety eyewear if workers may wear them off the job site (29 CFR 1910.132(h); 29 CFR 1926.95(d) for construction). That is why the template splits "we provide" from "you bring".
Heights and heat. In construction, fall protection is required at 6 feet or more above a lower level (29 CFR 1926.501), so state the typical heights. There is no final federal heat standard: OSHA published a proposed rule on August 30, 2024, held its hearing through July 2, 2025, and lists the rule as a proposal (OSHA heat rulemaking). Some states, California among them (8 CCR 3395), have their own outdoor heat rules. Name the conditions and the water, shade and rest breaks you provide.
Staffing agency and host. OSHA treats the staffing agency and the host employer as joint employers of temporary workers, both responsible for a safe workplace; it suggests the agency give general safety training and the host give training specific to the site, and says the agency has a duty to inquire into the conditions at the host's workplace (OSHA temporary workers). See OSHA temporary worker rules for staffing agencies. Some states, Illinois and New Jersey among them, add dispatch and notice duties for agencies; the screening page summarises them.
Age. Federal Hazardous Occupations Orders bar 16- and 17-year-olds from operating forklifts and most hoisting equipment (HO 7), from operating or helping with many power saws (HO 14), from most wrecking and demolition (HO 15), from roofing and work on or about a roof (HO 16), and from most trenching and excavation, including work in a trench more than four feet deep (HO 17). Workers aged 14 and 15 are barred from most construction work and may not work from ladders or scaffolds (DOL Fact Sheet #43). See hiring minors and work permits.
Overtime and travel time. The white-collar exemptions "do not apply to manual laborers or other 'blue collar' workers" (29 CFR 541.3(a)), so laborers are owed overtime. When a worker must report to a meeting place to receive instructions or pick up tools, travel from there to the work site is part of the day's work (29 CFR 785.38), while normal travel from home to work is not (29 CFR 785.35). Day labor orders that dispatch from a yard should say travel is paid.
Physical requirements and pay. Under the ADA, a written job description prepared before advertising counts as evidence of the essential functions (42 U.S.C. 12111(8)), so write the real lifts and conditions, not a copied "100 pounds". For pay, BLS national medians for May 2025 were $47,120 a year for construction laborers, $43,260 for helpers in the construction trades, and $40,240 for laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand. Post your own rate and check pay transparency laws by state.
From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows
| Must-have | Screening question | Scorecard competency | Evidence of a strong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start time and check-in | "Check-in is 6:15 a.m. at our yard on [street]. How will you get there, and what is your backup?" | Reliability | A real primary plan and a backup, not just "I'll be there" |
| Physical tasks | "Most of the day is carrying drywall sheets with a partner and loading debris bins. Can you do that, with or without an accommodation?" | Not scored | Yes, or an accommodation request routed to HR; no medical questions |
| Task history | "Tell me what you did on your last three jobs or tickets, one site at a time." | Relevant experience | Specific tasks, tools and sites, not "a little of everything" |
| Tool safety | "Which power tools have you used, and what do you check before you start one?" | Safety habits | Names tools, checks guards and cords, wears the right PPE |
| Heat and weather | "The site is outdoors in August. What do you do to stay safe, and when would you tell the lead?" | Heat awareness | Water and breaks, watches coworkers, reports symptoms early |
| Age (restricted tasks) | "This order includes demolition, which federal rules limit to workers 18 and older. Are you 18 or older?" | Not scored | Knockout confirmed |
The 7-minute call, red flags and state dispatch rules are in general laborer screening questions; for construction orders, use construction laborer screening questions. For fast, consistent hourly interviews and same-week offers, see the interview guide for hourly roles.
Common mistakes in general laborer job descriptions
"Various duties as assigned"
Workers cannot judge a job they cannot picture. Name the three tasks that fill most of the day.
A lifting line copied from another order
"Must lift 100 lbs" on a packing order turns away capable workers and misstates the essential functions. Use the real heaviest regular lift and say when it is a team lift.
"Must have own car"
The need is arriving on time every day. Ask for a reliable way to get there and a backup.
Silent on boots, PPE and travel
Workers who learn on day one that they must buy gear or that yard-to-site travel is unpaid do not come back. State both.
"No felonies" and other blanket lines
A blanket exclusion can still be challenged under Title VII's disparate impact provision, even though the EEOC rescinded its 2012 guidance on arrest and conviction records on October 28, 2026, and some state and city fair chance laws limit what an ad or application may say about records; see ban-the-box interview questions. Use "as permitted by law".
Before you publish
- The three main tasks, site type, hours and check-in point are in the summary.
- Physical lines name the real lift, conditions and heights.
- PPE is split into what you provide and what the worker brings.
- An 18-plus line appears only where a task is barred to minors.
- Pay, overtime, paid travel from the yard, the EEO statement and an accommodation contact close the posting.
Questions people ask
Who pays for a general laborer's steel-toe boots?
Under OSHA's rules for general industry and construction, the employer must provide required protective equipment at no cost to employees, with exceptions that include non-specialty safety-toe footwear, such as ordinary steel-toe boots, and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear, as long as the employer lets workers wear them off the job site. Hard hats, vests, gloves, glasses and hearing protection the job requires are the employer's cost. Say in the posting what you provide and what the worker brings.
Is travel from the dispatch office to the job site paid for general laborers?
Generally yes under federal law. The Department of Labor's rule says that when an employee is required to report at a meeting place to receive instructions or pick up tools, travel from that place to the work site is part of the day's work. Normal travel from home to work is not work time. State law can add more, so post the check-in point and how travel is paid.
Can a 16-year-old work as a general laborer?
Only on tasks that federal and state child labor rules allow. Federal Hazardous Occupations Orders bar 16- and 17-year-olds from operating forklifts and most other hoisting equipment, from most demolition, roofing and trenching work, and from operating or helping with many power saws. Workers aged 14 and 15 are barred from most construction work and from working on ladders or scaffolds. If the order includes any of that work, write '18 or older' in the must-haves.
Is a general laborer exempt from overtime?
No. Federal rules say the white-collar overtime exemptions do not apply to manual laborers or other blue-collar workers, who are owed minimum wage and overtime no matter how much they earn. Post the hourly rate, the overtime pattern and how hours are counted from check-in to release.