Hoist and winch operators: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Hoist and winch operators, also called derrick operators, control the movement of platforms, cables, and cages that transport workers or materials in industrial operations, such as constructing a highrise building. Many of these operators raise platforms far above the ground. Operators regulate the speed of the equipment on the basis of the needs of the workers. Many work in manufacturing, mining, and quarrying industries.
- Education Required
- Although no formal educational credential is usually required, some companies prefer to hire material moving machine operators who have a high school diploma. For crane and tower operators, excavating machine operators, and dredge operators, however, a high school diploma or equivalent typically is required.
- Training Required
- Although most material moving machine operators are trained on the job in less than a month, the amount of time spent in training will vary with the type of machine. Some machines, such as cranes and towers, are more complex than others, such as industrial trucks and forklifts. Learning to operate a forklift or an industrial truck in warehouses, for example, may take only a few days; training to operate a crane for port operations may take several months. Most workers are trained by a supervisor or another experienced employee.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 6% (As fast as average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- A number of states and several cities require crane operators to be licensed. To get a license, operators typically must complete a skills test in which they show that they can control a crane. They also must pass a written exam that tests their knowledge of safety rules and procedures. Some crane operators and industrial truck and tractor operators may obtain certification, which includes passing a written exam.
- Median pay: How much do Material Moving Machine Operators make?
- $33,890 Annual Salary
- $16.29 per hour
Careers for Material Moving Machine Operators
- Ash conveyor operators
- Assembly line tenders
- Backhoe operators
- Boom crane operators
- Bridge crane operators
- Cherry picker operators
- Chip bin conveyor tenders
- Coal tower operators
- Coke loaders
- Conveyor belt operators
- Conveyor operators and tenders
- Crane and tower operators
- Dragline oilers
- Dredge deckhands
- Dredge engineers
- Dredge mates
- Dredge operators
- Dredgers
- Earth loading equipment operators
- Earth moving equipment operators
- Electric crane operators
- End loader operators
- Erecting crane operators
- Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators
- Excavator backhoe operators
- Excavators
- Forklift drivers
- Forklift operators
- Front-end loader operators
- Grain elevator operators
- Hoist operators
- Hydraulic lift drivers
- Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Industrial truck operators
- Joy loaders
- Load haul dump operators
- Monorail crane operators
- Overhead crane operators
- Packing line operators
- Payloader operators
- Port crane operators
- Radio control crane operators
- Reach-lift truck drivers
- Scrap crane operators
- Shovel operators
- Stacker operators
- Tower loader crane operators
- Tower loader operators
- Trenching machine operators
- Underground mining loading machine operators
- Winch derrick operators
- Winch operators
- Woodyard crane operators
- Yard loader operators