The term construction worker describes an abstract concept and is a meta-category for all those involved in construction, those performing the actual work.

The physical construction worker does not actually exist, all construction workers associate themselves with some subcategory of worker.

Construction workers – as anyone in an occupation that involves possible head strikes, heatstroke, frostbite, other weather elements, or hazardous contaminants – should always wear protective hard hats, giving birth to the descriptive term “hard hat worker”. Some managers of small construction organizations or those that employ undocumented migrant workers avoid the expense of hardhats and other safety equipment and practices that may slow production or require larger crews. For this reason hardhats are associated with those workers involved in commercial, large scale, and government jobs.

Construction workers work under the construction foreman.

While most construction workers learn on the job as an informal apprentice to an experienced tradesman, formal apprenticeship programs are common, particularly in developed countries with trade unions.