Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
(SOC 47-2073)

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Operate one or several types of power construction equipment, such as motor graders, bulldozers, scrapers, compressors, pumps, derricks, shovels, tractors, or front-end loaders to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement. May repair and maintain equipment in addition to other duties.

Sample of reported job titles: Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Operator, Operating Engineer, Back Hoe Operator, Loader Operator, Machine Operator, Motor Grader Operator, Track Hoe Operator, Excavator Operator, Grader Operator

Job Responsibilities

• Learn and follow safety regulations.
• Take actions to avoid potential hazards or obstructions, such as utility lines, other equipment, other workers, or falling objects.
• Locate underground services, such as pipes or wires, prior to beginning work.
• Monitor operations to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
• Adjust handwheels and depress pedals to control attachments, such as blades, buckets, scrapers, or swing booms.
• Start engines, move throttles, switches, or levers, or depress pedals to operate machines, such as bulldozers, trench excavators, road graders, or backhoes.
• Coordinate machine actions with other activities, positioning or moving loads in response to hand or audio signals from crew members.
• Load and move dirt, rocks, equipment, or other materials, using trucks, crawler tractors, power cranes, shovels, graders, or related equipment.
• Check fuel supplies at sites to ensure adequate availability.
• Drive and maneuver equipment equipped with blades in successive passes over working areas to remove topsoil, vegetation, or rocks or to distribute and level earth or terrain.

New Hampshire Outlook

• Average Hourly Wage*: $21.68
• Estimated Employment 2010: 1,011
• Projected Employment 2020: 1,253
• Expected 10-Year Growth: 23.9%
• Projected Average Annual Openings: 47

Top industries in NH for this occupation:

• Specialty Trade Contractors
• Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
• Local Government, except Education
• Construction of Buildings
• Self-Employed Workers
• Mining (except Oil and Gas)

Education and Training

Entry-level Operating Engineers learn to operate equipment by training on-the-job under supervision, through a formal apprenticeship, or by attending a private trade school. Most have at least a high school diploma. Frequently, training is on a specific piece of construction equipment, such as a grader, backhoe, or bulldozer. Technologically advanced equipment may require specialized training.

In New Hampshire, there are no professional licensing requirements for Operating Engineers. There are professional associations for various types of equipment operators that offer training and certification.

Interests (Holland Code): RCI

• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
  

Career Cluster: Architecture and Construction

Work Environment
Construction equipment operators work in nearly every type of climate and weather condition. Workers often get dirty, greasy, muddy, or dusty. Most work full time, and some operators may have irregular hours. Some construction projects, especially road building, are done at night.

Additional Information Sources**
Associated General Contractors of America
<www.agc.org>

Associated General Contractors of NH
<www.agcnh.org>

To Find a Job
Contact the nearest NH Employment Security office or go online to www.nhes.nh.gov

* New Hampshire Occupational Employment and Wages, September 2012. Wage estimates based on surveys through May 2011, adjusted to June 2012.
** Inclusion of this information is intended to provide a convenient resource for research, but in no way constitutes an endorsement for any organization; nor is the list all-inclusive.

Source:
NH Employment Projections, base year 2010 to projected year 2020
Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics

For more information:
Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
(603) 228-4124
elmi@nhes.nh.gov