1.
worker; laborer; operative
A person who performs manual or technical work, especially at construction sites, factories, or other industrial settings. A neutral, widely used term for someone engaged in hands-on labor.
作業員がヘルメットをかぶっている。
The workers are wearing helmets.
工事現場で作業員が働いている。
Workers are working at the construction site.
作業員の安全を確保するために新しいルールが導入された。
New rules were introduced to ensure the safety of workers.
Compound of 作業 ('work; operation') and 員 ('member; personnel'). A factual, non-pejorative term commonly used in news reports, workplace regulations, and industrial contexts. More specific than the general 労働者 ('laborer') and less formal than 従業員 ('employee').
USAGE:
- Frequently appears in news about industrial accidents, construction projects, and disaster response.
- Can be modified with a field: 建設作業員 ('construction worker'), 清掃作業員 ('cleaning worker').
- In nuclear and disaster contexts, 作業員 often refers to people working in hazardous conditions.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 建設作業員: construction worker
- 作業員の安全: worker safety
- 現場の作業員: on-site workers
- 作業員を配置する: to deploy workers
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 労働者: laborer; worker — a broader, more formal term often used in legal and economic contexts
- 従業員: employee — someone employed by a company; covers office workers as well as manual laborers
- 職人: craftsperson; artisan — a skilled tradesperson, emphasizing specialized expertise