CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators

The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Summary Job Description Tasks
Operate or tend machinery equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets, to excavate and load loose materials. Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
 
Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.
 
Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.
 
Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and with efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.
 
Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.
 
Create and maintain inclines and ramps, and handle slides, mud, and pit cleanings and maintenance.
 
Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.
 
Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.
 
Measure and verify levels of rock or gravel, bases, or other excavated material.
 
Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.
 
Adjust dig face angles for varying overburden depths and set lengths.
 
Drive machines to work sites.
 
Perform manual labor to prepare or finish sites, such as shoveling materials by hand.
 
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.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Important Knowledge Competencies Competency Description
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.
 
Production and Processing Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Important Skill Competencies Competency Description
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.
 
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 
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.
 
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 
Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 
Troubleshooting Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
 
Equipment Maintenance Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
 
Repairing Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
 
Quality Control Analysis Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
 
Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
 
Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
 
Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 
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.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Important Ability Competencies Competency Description
Control Precision The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
 
Multilimb Coordination The ability to 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.
 
Depth Perception The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
 
Manual Dexterity The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
 
Spatial Orientation The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
 
Far Vision The ability to see details at a distance.
 
Arm-Hand Steadiness The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
 
Response Orientation The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
 
Rate Control The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
 
Reaction Time The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
 
Auditory Attention The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
 
Finger Dexterity The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
 
Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
 
Peripheral Vision The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
 
Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
 
Problem Sensitivity The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
 
Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
 
Static Strength The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
 
Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
 
Visualization The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
 
Speed of Limb Movement The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
 
Hearing Sensitivity The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
 
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
 
Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
 
Deductive Reasoning The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
 
Perceptual Speed The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
 
Information Ordering The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
 
Flexibility of Closure The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
 
Time Sharing The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
 
Visual Color Discrimination The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
 
Glare Sensitivity The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting.
 
Written Comprehension The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
 
Inductive Reasoning The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
 
Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
 
Wrist-Finger Speed The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
 
Trunk Strength The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
 
Sound Localization The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
 
Night Vision The ability to see under low light conditions.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Tools/Technology Example Product Category
Email software Electronic mail software
 
Machine control systems Industrial control software
 
Machine monitoring software Industrial control software
 
Spreadsheet software Spreadsheet software
 
Word processing software Word processing software
 
Adjustable wrenches Adjustable wrenches
 
Backhoes Backhoes
 
Claw hammers Hammers
 
Compact excavators Track excavators
 
Computer terminals Mainframe console or dumb terminals
 
Crawler mounted draglines Draglines
 
Dump trucks Dump trucks
 
Engineers' levels Levels
 
Flatbed truck trailers Flatbed trailers
 
Forklifts Forklifts
 
Front end loaders Front end loaders
 
Grading buckets Earthmoving buckets or its parts or accessories
 
Grapplers Grapples
 
Grease guns Grease guns
 
Hand levels Levels
 
Hydraulic excavators Track excavators
 
Laser levels Levels
 
Lifting slings Slings
 
Locking pliers Locking pliers
 
Measuring tapes Tape measures
 
Mini excavators Mobile excavators
 
Phillips head screwdrivers Screwdrivers
 
Power augers Boring or sinking machinery
 
Protective ear muffs Ear muffs
 
Respirators Respirators
 
Rock crushers Rock crushers
 
Rock trucks Dump trucks
 
Safety goggles Goggles
 
Skid steer loaders Skid steer loaders
 
Skip loaders Skid steer loaders
 
Straight screwdrivers Screwdrivers
 
Telescoping excavators Mobile excavators
 
Tire pressure gauges Pressure indicators
 
Tracked excavators Track excavators
 
Walking draglines Draglines
 
Wheel blocks Wheel chocks
 
Wheel loaders Wheel loaders
 
Wheeled excavators Wheel excavators
 
Wireless touch screen monitors Touch screen monitors
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Prerequisite Qualification Category Education and Experience Level
Required Level of Education High School Diploma (or GED or High School Equivalence Certificate)
 
On-Site or In-Plant Training Up to and including 1 month
 
Related Work Experience Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
 
Required Level of Education Less than a High School Diploma
 
On-the-Job Training Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
Alternate Job Title(s)
Aerial Tram Operator
Air Shovel Operator
Back Digger Operator
Back Filler Operator
Back Hoe Machine Operator
Back Hoe Operator
Backhoe Operator
Clam Shovel Operator
Coal Equipment Operator
Diesel Scoop Operator
Dragline Oiler
Dragline Operator
Earth Moving Equipment Operator
Earth Moving Machine Operator
Electric Scoop Operator
Electric Shovel Operator
End Loader Operator
Equipment Operator
Excavator
Excavator Backhoe Operator
Excavator Operator
Foundation Digger
Fuel Operator
Gas Shovel Operator
Grave Digger
Harvester Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator
Horseback Excavator
Loader Operator
Mechanical Shovel Operator
Mill Operator
Mucking Machine Operator
Operating Engineer
Payloader Machine Operator
Payloader Operator
Pit Foreman
Pit Operator
Pit Shovel Operator
Plant Operator
Plunger Scoop Operator
Plunger Shovel Operator
Power Digger Operator
Power Shovel Operator
Scoop Driver
Scoop Operator
Septic Tank Installer
Septic Tank Setter
Shovel Operator
Steam Shovel Operator
Steam Shovelman
Stripper Shovel Operator
Tower Excavator Operator
Track Hoe Operator
Tram Operator
Trench Shovel Operator
Trencher Driver
Trenching Machine Operator
Truck Driver
Yard Loader Operator
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Construction
Job Family: Construction Trades
Benchmark Title: Excavating, Loading Machine and Dragline Operators
 
 
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