Beijing Paradise BBS Backup/PARADISE.ISO/software/BBSDOORW/JOB4.ZIP/OOHB0267.HBK

Text File | 1995-10-24 | 12.7 KB | 248 lines

248
Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Helpers, and Laborers

(A list of D.O.T.  codes is available on request.  See page 468.)

Nature of the Work

Employers in almost all industries hire individuals at the entry
level.  These workers assist more skilled production, construction,
operating, and maintenance workers, or perform tasks that do not
require significant training.  They perform a broad array of jobs,
ranging from moving boxes and feeding machines to cleaning equipment
and work areas.  Many do tasks needed to make the work of more
skilled employees flow smoothly.  These workers often do routine,
physical work under close supervision.  They generally follow oral
or written instructions from supervisors or more experienced
workers, with little opportunity to make decisions.  Helpers and
laborers must be familiar with the duties of workers they help, as
well as with the materials, tools, and machinery they use, in order
to perform their jobs effectively.

   Freight, stock, and material hand movers move materials to and from
storage and production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles,
ships' holds, and containers, either manually or with forklifts,
dollies, handtrucks, or carts.  Their specific duties vary by
industry and work setting.  In factories, they may move raw
materials, components, and finished goods between work areas and to
and from storage areas and loading docks.  They receive and sort
materials and supplies and prepare them according to work orders for
delivery to work or storage areas.  In grocery stores, they stock
shelves, bag groceries, carry packages to customers' cars, and
return shopping carts to designated areas.

   Helpers assist construction trades workers, mechanics and repairers,
and workers in production and extractive occupations.  (Information
on these occupations is given elsewhere in the Handbook.) They aid
machine operators and tenders by moving materials, supplies, and
tools to and from work areas.  Some may tend machines during
operation if an operator is not available.  Helpers may sort
finished products, keep records of machine processes, report
malfunctions to operators, and clean machinery after use.
Mechanics' helpers assist workers who repair motor vehicles,
industrial machinery, and electrical, electronic, and other
equipment.  They may furnish tools, materials, and supplies; hold
materials or tools; take apart defective equipment; remove rivets;
prepare replacement parts; or clean work areas.

   Construction craft laborers provide much of the routine physical
labor at highway, building, and demolition sites.  They supply
tools, materials, and equipment to carpenters, electricians,
plasterers, masons, painters, plumbers, roofers, and other
construction trades workers.  They dig trenches, set braces to
support the sides of excavations, and clean up rubble and debris.
They operate jackhammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, buggies,
front-end loaders, walk-behind ditchdiggers, small mechanical
hoists, and laser beam equipment to align and grade ditches and
tunnels.  In addition to working on building and transportation
projects, construction craft laborers work on other projects, such
as hazardous waste cleanup and asbestos and lead abatement.  Some
laborers have job titles that indicate the work they do.  Tenders
for bricklayers and plasterers, for example, mix and supply
materials, set up and move scaffolding, and provide other services.

   Hand packers and packagers manually package or wrap materials.  They
may inspect items for defects, label cartons and stamp information
on products, keep records of items packed, and stack packages on
loading docks.

   Machine feeders and offbearers feed materials into or remove
materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by
other workers.

   Service station attendants fill fuel tanks; wash windshields; change
oil; repair tires; and replace belts, lights, windshield wipers, and
other accessories on automobiles, buses, trucks, and other vehicles.
Attendants collect payment for services and supplies.

   Refuse collectors gather trash and garbage cans manually, or they
may operate a hydraulic lift truck that picks up and empties
dumpsters.  They drive along a regularly scheduled route, and
transport refuse to a dump or landfill.

   Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners clean machinery, vehicles,
storage tanks, pipelines, and similar equipment using water and
other cleaning agents, vacuums, hoses, brushes, cloths, and other
cleaning equipment.

   Parking lot attendants assist customers in parking their cars in
lots or storage areas and collect fees from customers.

   Construction craft laborers operate a variety of power tools.

Working Conditions

Most handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers do
repetitive, physically demanding work.  They may lift and carry
heavy objects, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl in awkward
positions.  Some work at great heights, or outdoors in all weather
conditions.  Some jobs expose workers to harmful chemicals, fumes,
odors, loud noise, or dangerous machinery, so these employees may
need to wear safety clothing, such as gloves, hats, eye, mouth, and
hearing protection, and must constantly observe safety procedures.

   In many industries, handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers may have to work evening or graveyard shifts.  Their shifts
are often 8 hours, but sometimes 12.  Handlers may stock shelves at
night in grocery stores; service station and parking lot attendants
may also work at night.  Garbage collectors often work early morning
shifts, starting at 5:00 or 6:00 A.M.

Employment

Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers held about 4.5
million jobs in 1992.  The following tabulation shows the makeup of
this occupational group.

Freight, stock, and material movers, hand.....................845,000
Hand packers and packagers....................................685,000
Construction trades helpers...................................452,000
Machine feeders and offbearers................................255,000
Vehicle washers and equipment cleaners........................219,000
Service station attendants....................................190,000
Refuse collectors.............................................121,000
Parking lot attendants........................................ 63,000
All other helpers, laborers, and material movers, hand......1,621,000

   They are employed throughout the country in virtually all
industries, with the greatest numbers in manufacturing,
construction, and wholesale and retail trade.  Almost 1 out of 4
handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers works part time.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

For most of these jobs, employers will hire people without work
experience or specific training.  Some require a high school
diploma, others do not.  Some jobs require union membership and have
long waiting lists.  For those jobs requiring physical exertion,
employers look for physically fit workers and may require that
applicants pass a physical exam.  Some employers require mandatory
drug testing prior to employment.  For all jobs, employers look for
people who are reliable and hard working.  For those jobs that
involve dealing with the public, such as grocery store helpers and
garage and parking lot attendants, workers should be pleasant and
tactful.  Some jobs require literacy and basic mathematics skills to
read billing and other records and collect payment for services from
customers.  Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers are
often younger than workers in other occupations reflecting the
limited training but significant physical requirements of these
jobs.

   Generally, handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers learn
skills informally from more experienced workers or supervisors.
Workers who use dangerous equipment or toxic chemicals often receive
training in safety awareness and procedures.  In many of these jobs,
workers may become trainees or qualify directly for jobs as
construction trades workers; machine operators, assemblers, or other
production workers; transportation, material moving equipment, or
vehicle operators; or mechanics or repairers.  Some become
supervisors of handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers.
In fact, many employers prefer not to hire workers for mechanic,
construction trade, production, or similar occupations.  Rather,
they hire handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers, and
promote qualified workers as openings arise.

Job Outlook

Job openings should be numerous for handlers, equipment cleaners,
helpers, and laborers because the occupation is very large and
turnover is relatively high characteristic of occupations that
require little formal training.  Although employment is expected to
grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the
year 2005, employment change for individual occupations will vary.
Among service station attendants, for example, a decline in
employment has been projected; vehicle washers and equipment
cleaners can expect average employment growth; and parking lot
attendants are projected to experience faster than average growth.

   Demand for handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers will
depend on growth of the industries that employ these workers, as
well as growth of the skilled workers whom they assist.  For
example, the average employment growth projected for construction
craft laborers reflects the average growth expected for the
construction industry and for construction trades workers.
Employment growth among handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers may be spurred by the Nation's emphasis on hazardous waste
cleanup and other environmental projects, and on rebuilding
infrastructure roads, bridges, tunnels, and communications
facilities, for instance.

   Employment growth also is affected by automation.  Some of these
jobs are repetitive and, therefore, easily replaced by new machines
and equipment that can improve productivity and quality control.
Automated material handling equipment, such as conveyor belts and
computer-controlled lift mechanisms and machines that automatically
load, unload, and package materials, will be increasingly used,
eliminating some helper, handler, and hand packer and packager jobs.
As more skilled jobs become automated or partially automated, such
as those of assemblers, demand for these employees will decline, as
will demand for workers who assist them.  Some workers, however,
such as construction craft laborers, are not easily replaced by
automation because of the varied nature of their jobs.

   In addition to automation, many employers have adopted cost cutting
measures such as job combinations, in which one employee performs
the work previously done by two different types of workers.  This
may cause displacement of handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers because their jobs may be assumed by more highly skilled
workers who perform the skilled labor as well as the helper's work.
In other cases, a helper may assist more than one type of worker,
thereby reducing the number of helpers needed.

Earnings

Median weekly earnings for handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers,
and laborers in 1992 were about $300.  The middle 50 percent earned
from $220 to $420 weekly.  The top 10 percent earned over $550
weekly, and the bottom 10 percent earned less than $180 weekly.
Construction craft laborers have higher weekly earnings than other
workers in this group.  However, they may be more likely to lose
work time because of bad weather and the cyclical nature of
construction work.  Stock handlers and baggers have the lowest
weekly earnings among workers in this group.

   Nearly 1 out of 4 handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and
laborers belongs to a union.

Related Occupations

Other entry level workers who perform mostly physical work are
roustabouts in the oil industry, certain timber cutting and logging
occupations, and groundskeepers.  The jobs of handlers, equipment
cleaners, helpers, and laborers are often similar to those of the
more experienced workers they assist, including machine operators,
construction craft workers, assemblers, mechanics, and repairers.

Sources of Additional Information

   For information about jobs as handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers,
and laborers, contact local building or construction contractors,
manufacturers, and wholesale and retail establishments, or the local
office of the State employment service.

   For general information about the work of construction craft
laborers, contact:

   Laborers' International Union of North America, 905 16th St.  NW.,
Washington, DC 20006.