Heavy equipment operator

{{Infobox Occupation

| name = Heavy equipment operator

| image = US Navy 060324-5328N-N-324 Using a mini excavator, a heavy equipment operator with the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based, Dick Corp. carefully covers the remains of a wrecked wooden ship aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.jpg

| caption = A mini excavator uncovers the remains of a wooden ship

| official_names =

| type = Vocation

| activity_sector = Construction

| competencies = | formation =

| employment_field =construction

| related_occupation = excavator operator, Driver

}}

Image:Frontloaderorange.jpg 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.{{Cite web |title=Construction Equipment Operators : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Construction-and-Extraction/Construction-equipment-operators.htm |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=www.bls.gov |language=en-us}}{{cite book|title=Construction Safety Handbook |author= V. J. Davies, Ken Tomasin|year=1996|publisher=Thomas Telford|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rpzFtFbGoq0C&dq=Excavator+driver&pg=RA1-PA59|isbn=0-7277-2519-X}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Crane Hand Signals: Vital for Construction Safety |url=https://almarwan.com/news/4187/crane-hand-signals-guide |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=Al Marwan Heavy Machinery |language=en}}

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