About This Career

Helps installation, maintenance, and repair workers in maintenance, parts replacement, and repair of vehicles, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic equipment. Performs duties such as furnishing tools, materials, and supplies to other workers; cleaning work area, machines, and tools; and holding materials or tools for other workers.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Maintenance/Operations pathway.

A person in this career:

• Installs or replaces machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools.
• Examines and tests machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning.
• Tends and observes equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation.
• Adjusts, connects, or disconnects wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools.
• Cleans or lubricates vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment.
• Holds or supplies tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers.
• Diagnoses electrical problems and installs and rewires electrical components.
• Disassembles broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassembles equipment when repairs are complete.
• Positions vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment.
• Transfers tools, parts, equipment, and supplies to and from work stations and other areas.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 50 lbs., sometimes up to 100 lbs. You will need a lot of strength at this level.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly up close
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel