Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators

About the job

Operate or tend machinery equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets, to excavate and load loose materials.

What you'll do

• Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths.
• Create or maintain inclines or ramps.
• Direct ground workers engaged in activities such as moving stakes or markers, or changing positions of towers.
• Direct workers engaged in placing blocks or outriggers to prevent capsizing of machines when lifting heavy loads.
• Drive machines to work sites.
• Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance.
• Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.
• Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material.
• Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.
• Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand.

Things you need to know

• Mechanical – Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Building and Construction – Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Public Safety and Security – Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• English Language – Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics – Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Abilities you'll need to have

• Operation and Control – Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operation Monitoring – Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Monitoring – Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Active Learning – Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Reading Comprehension – Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening – Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Social Perceptiveness – Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.