Crane and Tower Operators
Architecture & Construction > ConstructionProjected Growth: Average
Projected Job Openings
Medium Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Common job titles of Crane and Tower Operators include:
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Experience and Education
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
60.63% said they needed a Post-Secondary Certificate.
31.53% said they needed a High School Diploma.
Tasks
Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
Load or unload bundles from trucks or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs as necessary.
Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.
Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery.
Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.
Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements and remove and batch packaging tickets.
Tools
Wireless touch screen monitors
Wire rope cutters
Wire brushes
Welding masks
Wedge sockets
Wear gauges
Vernier calipers
All ToolsTwo way radios
Turnbuckles
Tower attachments
Tire pressure gauges
Timber tongs
Survival suits
Straight screwdrivers
Steam cleaning equipment
Spud wrenches
Spreader beams
Snips
Slip joint pliers
Sledgehammers
Shackles
Safety goggles
Safety glasses
Rough-terrain cranes
Robertson screwdrivers
Ringer cranes
Respirators
Rated load indicators
Ratchet sets
Punches
Pry bars
Protective ear plugs
Protective ear muffs
Propane torches
Power washers
Power drills
Pneumatic impact wrenches
Pile drivers
Phillips head screwdrivers
Pallet forks
Paint application sprayers
Oxyacetylene torches
Overhaul balls
Orange peel buckets
Open end wrenches
Oilcans
Needlenose pliers
Monorail cranes
Measuring tapes
Luffing jib cranes
Load monitoring indicators
Load hooks
Lifting slings
Lifting magnets
Lifting clamps
Jib cranes
Iron balls
Hydraulic truck-mounted cranes
Hydraulic jacks
Hook blocks
Grease guns
Gantry cranes
Friction cranes
Forklifts
Floor scales
Fall arrest harnesses
Excavators
Electric impact wrenches
Drop hammers
Drift pins
Dragline buckets
Demolition hammers
Crawler cranes
Comealongs
Closed-end wrenches
Clips
Claw hammers
Clamshell buckets
Chain falls
Cab cranes
Bridge cranes
Boom length indicators
Boom angle indicators
Bench vises
Barrel clamps
Ball peen hammers
Anti-two block devices
Angle grinders
Anemometers
All-terrain cranes
Adjustable wrenches
Technologies
Crane operation control software
Inventory tracking software
Skills
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.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
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.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Abilities
Quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Control Movement Abilities › Psychomotor Abilities › Control Precision
Coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Control Movement Abilities › Psychomotor Abilities › Multilimb Coordination
See details at a distance.
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Far Vision
Judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Sensory Abilities › Visual Abilities › Depth Perception