Heavy equipment operator - Misplaced Pages

Heavy equipment operator
Occupation
A mini excavator uncovers the remains of a wooden ship
Occupation type	Vocation
Activity sectors	Construction
Description
Fields of employment	construction
Related jobs	excavator operator, Driver

A wheeled front loader at work. This wheeled tractor is equipped with a large bucket, which can be raised or lowered by hydraulic arms.

A heavy equipment operator operates heavy equipment used in engineering and construction projects. Typically only skilled workers may operate heavy equipment, and there is specialized training for learning to use heavy equipment.

Operator training

Various organizations set standards for training for heavy equipment operators. Such organizations typically offer what in the US is called "effective safety training". Specific organizations include the following:

Safety

Much publication about heavy equipment operators focuses on improving safety for such workers. The occupational medicine field researches and makes recommendations about safety for these and other workers in safety-sensitive positions. Hand signals are also important for machinery operators as it facilitates visual aid for safe work in spite of factors such as noise and a crowded environment.

Notable heavy equipment operators

Mack Ray Edwards (1918–1971), child sex abuser/serial killer; buried victims at his construction sites; committed suicide by hanging in his prison cell