Heavy equipment operators operate heavy equipment used in the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, sewer and water installations, airports, gas and oil pipelines, tunnels, buildings and other structures; in surface mining and quarrying activities. Key responsibilities of this role include:
- Operate heavy equipment such as:
- Backhoe loaders, excavators, crawler dozers, bulldozers, rubber-tired loaders, articulated rock trucks compaction equipment and graders to excavate, move, load and grade earth, rock, gravel or other materials during construction and related activities
- Bulldozers or other heavy equipment to clear brush and stumps prior to logging activities and to build roads at logging and surface mining sites
- Pile-drivers to drive piling into earth to provide support for buildings, bridges or other structures
- Dredging equipment to deepen waterways or reclaim earth fill
- Paving and surfacing equipment to lay, spread or compact concrete, asphalt and other surface materials during highway and road construction
- Power shovels to excavate rock, ore or other materials from open-pit mines, strip mines, quarries or construction pit
- Articulated rock trucks to transport materials in off-road conditions
- Operate heavy equipment to move, load and unload cargo
- Conduct pre-operational checks on equipment and clean, lubricate and refill equipment
- Operate GPS enabled equipment when available
- Be able to read and understand construction drawings and survey layout
