Heavy equipment operators operate backhoes, bulldozers, power shovels, scrapers, loaders, hydraulic excavators, forklifts, cranes and other similar heavy equipments. They also include dredges, hoists, drills, pumps and compressors.
These operators work in Road Building, forestry, Logging, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, and Heavy Construction and Mining industries, pipeline and logging companies. For example, pipes carry oil through long distances and the heavy equipment operator digs the ground to lay the pipes and later, smoothing the dirt over it. While some operators start their own businesses, others with experience get jobs as supervisors or safety officers.
To become a heavy equipment operator, the individual must be a responsible and safety-conscious individual with the following qualities:
· Physical strength and stamina with good hearing and vision
· Manual and finger dexterity with eye-hand and foot coordination, depth perception, good reflex skills
· Aptitude for mechanics and computer skills
· Communicative, self-disciplined and aptitude for problem solving
· Ability to work independently
· Team spirit
They must be at least 18 years old and possess a commercial driver's license, and certification for specific equipment, preferably with experience. The career opportunities include jobs on construction sites, quarries Heymanual, municipalities and waste management. During the screening, drug and alcohol tests may be required.
On the job, operators, besides maneuvering heavy machinery, must also accurately calculate the right loads, follow instructions and make sure that the equipment is maintained well so that they perform their work of installing construction materials, laying down roads or paving in an efficient way.
Skills Training
Since the equipment is huge and powerful, it takes training and skills to operate and maintain them. These skills are usually learned through apprenticeship program involving intensive on the job as well as classroom training. They also learn about maintenance and servicing. Apprenticeship training is a valuable part of the process where each designated trade has a mandatory number of hours which must be completed for a Certificate of Qualification. This duration is built into the Plan of Training and can range from one to five years based on the specific trade.
After this is completed, operators become journey persons and are ready to seek employment. A journey person is defined as someone who has met the requirements for writing the necessary interprovincial or provincial certification examination, has successfully passed the certification examination and is a recipient of the Certificate of Qualification to make them eligible to work as an operator. Work can often be seasonal and involve long hours in different types of weather.
Heavy duty equipments requires operators who can undergo one of six major heavy equipment operator program areas. These are machine training covering excavators, front end loaders, backhoes, skid steers, dump trucks, forklifts and similar equipment, Driver training and air brakes instructing in Class 1 and 3 driver training, air brake endorsement and long haul mountain training and industry training on site. Besides this there are three certification programs. Schools for operators specialize in preparing aspiring operators to work in various industries.
There is a growing need for heavy equipment operators based on the trends affecting the growth in the construction industry, especially in the engineering and highways sector, including mining, forestry, municipalities and agriculture.