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Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Mark bins as to types of mixtures stored.
    • Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements.
    • Clean work areas.
    • Examine materials, ingredients, or products, visually or with hands, to ensure conformance to established standards.
    • Set mill gauges to specified fineness of grind.
    • Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
    • Move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment that crushes, grinds, polishes, or blends materials.
    • Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements.
    • Reject defective products and readjust equipment to eliminate problems.
    • Transfer materials, supplies, and products between work areas, using moving equipment and hand tools.
    • Add or mix chemicals and ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices.
    • Turn valves to regulate the moisture contents of materials.
    • Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing.
    • Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
    • Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements.
    • Record data from operations, testing, and production on specified forms.
    • Read work orders to determine production specifications and information.
    • Observe operation of equipment to ensure continuity of flow, safety, and efficient operation, and to detect malfunctions.
    • Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
    • Notify supervisors of needed repairs.
    • Inspect chains, belts, or scrolls for signs of wear.
    • Dislodge and clear jammed materials or other items from machinery and equipment, using hand tools.
    • Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment.
    • Load materials into machinery and equipment, using hand tools.

    Skills

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

    Abilities

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

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • 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.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • 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.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • 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.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • 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.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    49920/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    24/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    790
    Yearly Projected Openings
    80

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Independence
    • Self Control
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Attention to Detail
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Ammeters
    • Claw hammer
    • Demolition hammers
    • Desktop computers
    • Dollies
    • Ear plugs
    • Forklifts
    • Front end loaders
    • Goggles
    • Grease guns
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hold down clamps
    • Hole saws
    • Locking pliers
    • Mallets
    • Personal computers
    • Picks
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Pressure or steam cleaners
    • Pry bars
    • Pullers
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Ratchets
    • Razor knives
    • Screwdrivers
    • Slings
    • Socket sets
    • Squares
    • Tape measures
    • Track cranes
    • Utility knives
    • Weight measuring instrument accessories
    • Wheel loaders
    • Wire brushes

    Technology

    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software