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Dredge Operators Occupation Detailed Description

Dredge Operators career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Dredge Operators

The main tasks and work activities of Dredge Operators are to operate excavation equipment, operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment, control pumps or pumping equipment, direct material handling or moving activities. In general, for the Dredge Operators, operation and Control, operation Monitoring, critical Thinking, judgment and Decision Making and other 2 skills are required.
Dredge Operators Job Description
EducationThese occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related ExperienceSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Dredge Operators jobs. 79.97% of Dredge Operators have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 8.58% of Dredge Operators have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
7.18%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
79.97%
Post-Secondary Certificate
8.58%
Some College Courses
4.27%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Dredge Operators

  • Move levers to position dredges for excavation, to engage hydraulic pumps, to raise and lower suction booms, and to control rotation of cutterheads.
  • Start and stop engines to operate equipment.
  • Start power winches that draw in or let out cables to change positions of dredges, or pull in and let out cables manually.
  • Pump water to clear machinery pipelines.
  • Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations, using winches, or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
  • Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical EquipmentServicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Operate excavation equipment.
  • Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
  • Control pumps or pumping equipment.
  • Direct material handling or moving activities.

Skills and Abilities for Dredge Operators

  • Operation and ControlControlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Operation MonitoringWatching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Depth PerceptionThe ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Reaction TimeThe ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Hearing SensitivityThe ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Auditory AttentionThe ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Anchor rollerse.g. Anchor winches
  • Chain sawe.g. Chainsaws
  • Earthmoving buckets or its parts or accessoriese.g. Clamshell buckets
  • Track bulldozerse.g. Crawler dozers
  • Blow torche.g. Cutting torches
  • Conventional truck cranese.g. Davit cranes
  • Density measurement instrumente.g. Density meters
  • Draglinese.g. Dragline cranes
  • Sonarse.g. Fathometer sonar equipment
  • Fire hoses or nozzlese.g. Firefighting hoses
  • Front end loaderse.g. Front end loaders
  • Grease gunse.g. Grease dispensing guns
  • Dump truckse.g. Heavy duty dump trucks
  • Dredgerse.g. Hydraulic suction dredges
  • Life vests or preserverse.g. Life jackets
  • Dredgerse.g. Mechanical dredges
  • Two way radiose.g. Mobile radios
  • Fire extinguisherse.g. Multipurpose fire extinguishers
  • Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatuse.g. Oxyacetylene welding equipment
  • Light trucks or sport utility vehiclese.g. Pickup trucks
  • MechanicalKnowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.