Crane and Tower Operators
On the Job
Crane and Tower Operators operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials or products in many directions.
Physical Demands 
This career requires good eyesight.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- Inspect material-moving equipment to detect problems.
- Install parts, assemblies, or attachments in transportation or material handling equipment.
- Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures.
- Maintain material moving equipment in good working condition.
- Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
- Clean machinery or equipment.
- Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
- Secure cargo.
- Weigh materials to ensure compliance with specifications.
Typical Working Conditions
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Frequent contact with others.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Exposure to sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
- Working with a group or team.
- Using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
- Working indoors in non-environmentally controlled conditions.
- Frequent decision-making.
- Exposure to hazardous equipment.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
