What do Groundworkers actually do?

Groundworker is a catch all term that could mean anything from shoveling to building foundation for skyscrapers.

In UK gorundwork companies fall under the SIC 43120 code which technically means site preparation, but to fully understand it you need to break it down into individual jobs.

We will break it down into the physical parts and the technical non physical parts so that it is easier to understand, here we go!

Physical Groundworking

• Site preparation and clearance - involves removing vegetation, debris, and levelling the ground to create a clean working area.
• Excavation and digging - consists of creating trenches for foundations, drainage, and utilities using diggers and hand tools.
• Foundations and concreting - includes pouring and finishing concrete bases, footings, and slabs for stable structures.
• Drainage related services - involves installing pipes, manholes, and redirecting water across the site.
• Paving and surfacing - means laying driveways, paths, kerbs, and roads to complete the external surfaces.
• Backfilling and compaction - consists of filling trenches and compacting soil to ensure long-term stability.
• General labour - includes supporting other trades, setting up site barriers, and maintaining health and safety standards.

Technical Groudnworking

This one has a lot more parts to it as it can range from doing technical drawings and estimations to geotechnical engineers seeing if the land is fit for use.

• Technical drawings and planning involves reading and interpreting site plans, creating layouts, and marking out exact positions for foundations and drainage.
• Estimations and measurements consists of calculating materials, volumes of excavation, and costs to ensure the project stays on budget and schedule.
• Geotechnical assessment involves working with engineers to test soil stability, bearing capacity, and drainage properties to confirm the land is suitable for construction.
• Quality control and testing means checking compaction levels, concrete strength, and ensuring all work meets building regulations and specifications.

These can be done off site in an office and involve more mathematical and on paper thinking, but there are also jobs that have a mix of both physical and technical.

• Setting out the site - includes using levels, lasers, and surveying tools to accurately position buildings, roads, and services on the ground.
• Drainage design and installation - includes planning and laying complex drainage systems, including gradients and connections to main sewers.
• Problem solving on site - adjusting plans when unexpected ground conditions appear, such as poor soil or hidden utilities.

This is what you will find mostly in the UK when it comes to the majority of groundworking for commercial, civil or domestic projects, but there are also groundworks that fall outside of this range that are a lot more specialised and very heavy duty.

• Renewable energy groundworks - building massive deep foundations and access roads for huge onshore wind turbines and solar farms in challenging terrain.
• Flood defence and coastal works - constructing sea walls, flood barriers, and erosion control systems to protect communities from rising seas and extreme weather.
• Airfield and runway construction - creating and resurfacing airport runways and taxiways that must withstand heavy aircraft loads and meet strict safety standards.

All construction on earth start on the ground, that is why groundworking is one of the most overlooked proffesions in the UK.

But if you know someone that is a groudnworker and would appreciate having more clients, share them this website https://www.webwicked.com so they can grow their groundworking career and business!

Thank you

Bartek Burnat