Drill holes in construction materials
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 12 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Handling and Moving Objects (4.A.3.a.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 12 occupations that perform it.
- Drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes.
- Bore boltholes in timber, masonry or concrete walls, using power drill.
- Cut out damaged areas, drill holes for reinforcing rods, and position reinforcing rods to repair concrete, using power saw and drill.
- Repair concrete by cutting out damaged areas, drilling holes for reinforcing rods, and positioning reinforcing rods, using power saw and drill.
- Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
- Tap and drill holes into pipes to introduce auxiliary lines or devices.
- Punch holes in slate, tile, terra cotta, or wooden shingles, using punches and hammers.
- Drill holes in timbers or lumber.
- Drill holes and pull or push wiring through openings, using hand and power tools.
- Cut or drill holes in walls or floors to accommodate the passage of pipes.
- Drill holes through rails, tie plates, or fishplates for insertion of bolts or spikes, using power drills.
- Tap mainline sewers to install sewer saddles.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
12 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Carpenters
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Helpers--Carpenters
- Helpers--Electricians
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Pipelayers
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
- Roofers
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
- Stonemasons
- Tapers
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Drill holes in earth or materials”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
| Activity | Jobs |
|---|---|
| Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials | 22 |
| Drill holes in earth or rock | 4 |
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.