Break up rock, asphalt, or concrete.

Break up rock, asphalt, or concrete. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 8 occupations and seen in 10 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate construction or excavation equipment. in Controlling Machines and Processes .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 10 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Pull down loose rock that cannot be supported. · Roof Bolters, Mining · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Drill holes along outlines, using jackhammers. · Rock Splitters, Quarry · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Remove pieces of stone from larger masses, using jackhammers, wedges, and other tools. · Rock Splitters, Quarry · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Insert wedges and feathers into holes, and drive wedges with sledgehammers to split stone sections from masses. · Rock Splitters, Quarry · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Repair concrete by cutting out damaged areas, drilling holes for reinforcing rods, and positioning reinforcing rods, using power saw and drill. · Terrazzo Workers and Finishers · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
• Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers. · Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators · importance 3.4 · no direct exposure
• Cut out damaged areas, drill holes for reinforcing rods, and position reinforcing rods to repair concrete, using power saw and drill. · Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers · importance 3.3 · no direct exposure
• Break asphalt and other pavement so that pipes can be accessed, using airhammers, picks, and shovels. · Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners · importance 3.1 · no direct exposure
• Operate jackhammers or drills to break up concrete or pavement. · Construction Laborers · importance 3.0 · no direct exposure
• Break up concrete, using airhammer, to facilitate installation, construction, or repair of equipment. · Helpers--Electricians · importance 2.9 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Roof Bolters, Mining
• Rock Splitters, Quarry
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
• Construction Laborers
• Helpers--Electricians

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-break-up-rock-asphalt-or-concrete,
  title  = {Break up rock, asphalt, or concrete.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/break-up-rock-asphalt-or-concrete}
}