Transportation Security Screeners

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.
• Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.
• Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.
• Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.
• Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
• Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.
• Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.
• Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.
• Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.
• Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
• Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
• Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
• Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
• Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
• Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
• Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
• Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
• Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.
• Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
• Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
• Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.
• Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
• Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.

Skills

• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.

Abilities

• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

Knowledge

• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge 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.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

65960/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

31.71/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

1,360

Yearly Projected Openings

130

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Integrity
• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Self Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Chemical test strips or papers
• Desktop computers
• Loupes
• Magnetic particle examination equipment
• Metal detectors
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Special purpose telephones
• Two way radios
• Ultrasonic examination equipment
• Ultraviolet UV lamps
• Weapon or explosives detectors and supplies
• X ray radiography examination equipment

Technology

• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Computer based training software
• Electronic mail software
• Human resources software
• Internet browser software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software