Conveyor Operators and Tenders

What the job really is

Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.

At a glance

• Sector: Transportation & Material Moving
• O*NET-SOC code: 53-7011
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed.
• Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions.
• Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime.
• Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers.
• Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors.
• Distribute materials, supplies, and equipment to work stations, using lifts and trucks.
• Observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control.
• Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis.
• Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor.
• Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps.
• Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows.
• Weigh or measure materials and products, using scales or other measuring instruments, or read scales on conveyors that continually weigh products, to verify specified tonnages and prevent overloads.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Windows, SAP software, Automatic palletizing equipment, Automobiles, Belt conveyors systems, Boom conveyors, Chain conveyor systems, Control system software, Conveyor control software, Desktop computers, Digital floor scales

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Machine Feeders and Offbearers
• Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
• Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
• Hoist and Winch Operators
• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Conveyor Operators and Tenders — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.