Written by Megan Hamilton
July 18, 2022
Laying pipe is a tough job. Pipelayers must do technical, skilled work quickly and properly to keep projects on schedule. Not to mention they work in potentially hazardous areas, so they need have to stay safety-conscious at all times.
So when someone joins your pipe crew—whether they’re new to the job, your company, or the whole industry—it's up to you to teach them how to be productive, stay safe, and grow in their career.
We'll help you explore how you can set your pipelayers up for success and give them a path to growth with BuildWitt Training.
Why use BuildWitt Training?
According to Gallup, engaged employees are 17% more productive. They’re 41% less likely to miss work, and they’re 24% less likely to quit. Plus, people who are engaged in their work pay more attention to safety.1
One of the surest ways to engage your pipelayers is to train them.
Why? Because training is one of the topic three things construction workers want in a job.2 And employees in all industries told LinkedIn that “the opportunity to grow” is one of the two most important things in a job.3
Training is what prepares them for that growth. And that's where BuildWitt Training comes in. It’s designed to engage your people with video lessons that:
- Use microlearning to help crew members retain their training
- Are relatable because they’re filmed on real jobsites with real equipment
- Come from experts with decades of experience—so they know what they’re talking about
Next up, let’s talk about what’s in those videos that will give your pipelayers a path to growth!
Pipelayer learning plans
We’ve made two learning plans just for pipelayers, Pipelayer: An Introduction and Pipelayer: Level 2.
Pipelayer: An Introduction
This introductory learning plan is for your newest pipelayers. These are people who just joined the pipe crew—and they may even be new to the industry.
It contains 55 micro-lessons that are grouped into 11 courses. Through these courses, rookie pipelayers will learn about their responsibilities, the industry basics, safety, tools and materials, common pitfalls to avoid, and tips to help them do the job better.
(More on all that in a minute.)
Pipelayer: Level 2
The second learning plan in our pipelayer series is for people who have a little more experience, but they’re either still learning the ropes or they could benefit from a little refresher.
Through 15 micro-lessons grouped into six courses, they’ll learn about the tools they need to lay pipe and how to do the tasks of the job properly.
What they’ll learn
Okay, great. We have learning plans. But what's in them, and how will it help? We’re glad you asked!
Safety
The introductory learning plan for pipelayers focuses on basic safety concepts like PPE, trench safety, and staying aware of one’s surroundings. These lessons will help prevent accidents, injuries, and unnecessary mistakes by showing them how to engage in safety practices on the jobsite.
Industry and role basics
When it comes to pipelaying, there are lots of industry terms and skills to learn. We'll help beginning pipelayers learn things like types of utilities, types of pipes, and how to meet the physical demands of the job.
Communication
When you're in a trench and someone is operating an excavator with a bucket full of rock or dirt, you better be able to communicate with your team quickly and properly. We’ll help you teach your pipelayers good communication so they can keep themselves and their crewmates safe.
Roles and responsibilities
Chances are, your newer pipelayers are coming from other roles—like laborer—with different responsibilities. Now, their responsibilities are changing, and that’ll take some getting used to. With BuildWitt Training lessons on these topics, you can help the transition go smoothly.
Tools and materials
Most anyone who’s been on a jobsite for more than five minutes has been handed a shovel and told to get to work. But do they know which shovel to use when? What about the best technique to avoid injury and unnecessary strain? Do they know how to inspect and store the shovel?
It’s smart to give pipelayers an introduction—or a refresher—to help them recognize, use, and store their tools correctly so they can be productive in their role.
Tasks of the job
This one may sound obvious, but someone who has never laid pipe before needs to be taught how to do it.
Now here’s something a little less obvious: someone who’s been laying pipe for a while may never have learned the best way to do it. So they need to be taught, too.
BuildWitt Training will help teach pipelayers at all levels how to do things like:
- Build trench boxes
- String out pipe
- Bring pipe into a trench
- Hoist and rig pipe
- Install pipe
- Backfill pipe
Pitfalls, tips, and tricks
After a decade or so on a pipe crew, people know plenty of tips and tricks to make the job go smoother. They also probably know a lot of the pitfalls to avoid, because they've either made those mistakes or seen other people make them.
But somebody who’s in their first couple of years doesn’t know that stuff. With BuildWitt Training, you can give your newer pipelayers this information early in their careers so they don’t have to learn the hard way.
Leadership skills
Some of the people who are on your pipe crews today will be leading those crews in the future. So it's important to teach them basic leadership principles now so they'll be ready to step into that role when you need them to.
Additional learning plans
So far, we've talked about learning plans that are specific to pipelayers. BuildWitt Training also offers other content that's not role specific . . . but it is just as helpful!
With 800+ video lessons and counting in our course catalog, you’ll have plenty to choose from to help your pipelayers—and the rest of the crew—grow in their roles. Let’s take a look.
Safety
Our pipelayer learning plans are a great start for safety essentials. To equip your rookies and refresh your veterans with even more safety tips, use the Safety Basics learning plan. It covers things like what PPE to wear, how to put a hard hat together, how to prevent fires, how to fuel and grease machines, how to be a good spotter, and more.
Industry
Lots of people are coming into the Dirt World who have never worked in the industry before. You can teach them about what you do and why it matters with industry-specific content.
It’ll cover topics such as:
- Civil Construction
- Asphalt Paving
- General Construction Skills
Leadership
The pipelayer learning plans cover basic leadership topics. But those who want to work their way up to being foremen or field supervisors should watch our more in-depth learning plans:
- Leadership
- An Introduction to Management
- Field Supervisor: An Introduction
- Field Supervisor: Level 2
Personal development
Pipelayers aren’t just pipelayers—they’re people. And you want to give them training tools that they can use to develop as whole people both on and off the jobsite.
BuildWitt Training’s personal development content covers topics like personal finance, mental health, and suicide prevention. So you can help your employees relieve financial and emotional stress and be their best.
Help your pipelayers grow with BuildWitt Training
Okay, we’ve talked about a lot of different learning plans. And now, here’s the really cool part: they’re all included when you buy BuildWitt Training.
And so is everything else in our training library!
Once you purchase their user licenses, your pipelayers will have unlimited access to Every. Single. Lesson.
They can watch all the content you assign them, they can assign themselves any of our 800+ to watch on their own, and they can rewatch any lesson as many times as they want—no restrictions, no limits, no extra costs.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get started and give your new pipelayers the path to growth they crave!