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The 167 Skills
The school you attend should be one that is focused upon training you with the skills that are needed for you to become successful in this industry. Choose one that does just that.
A certificate will not help you on a job site. Having the skills is what you need there. You can count on the contractor finding in a short time if you have the skills or not.
Know and consider these things.
- Having a skill is having the ability to demonstrate knowledge
- An operating engineer can figure out and operate any piece of heavy equipment.
- Over 90 percent of the time the operator is in charge on the site.
- The guy in charge is required by law to be the responsible person.
This is an overview of the skills that are developed in our students here. Our graduates have acquired every one of them. This is not a detailed list of every skill.
THE EQUIPMENT SKILLS – There are Back Bucket skills, Front Bucket skills, and Blade skills
Our students are trained to and must demonstrate the ability to dig a two foot deep flat bottom trench the length that the equipment will reach and do it within ten minutes. They are required to demonstrate doing this with a John Deere backhoe, a CAT backhoe, and an excavator. In addition, they must back up, realign their pivot point and extend the trench, demonstrating they can did a two foot deep flat bottom trench in a straight line. This is all done on equipment they have never operated before.
There is no level one, level two, or level three in heavy equipment here. Our students, when they graduate, can be expected to be put on any piece of equipment and after a short break in time at the controls, dig a two foot deep flat bottom trench the full reach of the equipment – within ten minutes. And, their trench is at the same quality level as that of an operator that has been doing it for 5 or more years.
In addition to the back bucket skills, every student acquires and demonstrates front bucket and blade skills. The front bucket skills are demonstrated on the wheel loader, the skidsteer, the backhoe, and the skip loader. Front bucket skills consist of scoop and dump, spreading, and leveling. The controls may be different and the size of the equipment may be different but front bucket skills are front bucket skills and the level of skill is “satisfactory results within 10 minutes.
Blade skills include demonstrating cutting, building a spoil pile, and backfilling. Our students get trained on ten different pieces of equipment here at the school. Two of which are dozers.
In addition to operating the equipment, they are trained to take care of it as well. On each piece of equipment they checked the fluids, found every grease fitting, checked the all safety items, and reported accurately their findings. They identified the controls, performed start up procedures, and executed shut down procedures leaving the equipment ready for work the next day. They can do air brake tests, compressor inspections, and leak tests.
THE SITE SKILLS
Today, over 90% of all construction work that is done with heavy equipment is done where the operator is the “head man on the job”. The operators of today need to have “Site Skills” as well as equipment skills. About 1/3 of our program is the development of equipment skills with about 2/3 is focused on site skills. Our students learned them well enough to teach them others. On the job, it is 100% or nothing. These are the main site skills that make or break the job. Let’s check them out.
Grade Checking Skills
Who can go far without knowing grade checking? Grade Checking is the skill that is used to level lots, build pads, slope parking lots prior to asphalt, slope trenches for drain pipe, and more. Our students learn by doing a complete grade checking exercise. They have the skills to identify points of interest, set up a transit, establish a benchmark, determine height of instrument, take readings from an engineers rule, verify the readings, calculate cut of fill, and mark/report the results.
Safe Working Load Calculation Skills
To eliminate the accidents caused by rope, cables, and chains breaking during a lifting process, laws were enacted requiring someone on the job to be the responsible person for the rigging. In most cases, that “responsible person” is the operator. He/She must know that what are picking up will not come down because the rope, cable, or chain is not adequate to do the job. Our students demonstrate having the ability to calculate safe working load for rope, wire rope and chain. They also demonstrate the ability to do the sling stress calculations where multiple slings are being used - as for shoring.
Rigging Skills
The law requires a competent person be place in charge of the rigging on every job. That person is required to know the capacity of the rigging, to be able to inspect the equipment and the rigging, and to be qualified to connect the load. Using the wrong hook or chain is a sited offence by both MSHA and OSHA. Most of the time, the operator is that responsible person. Every operator needs to have these skills.
Math Skills
We work with cubic yards most of the time. Sling stress and safe working load numbers need to be determined whenever lifting is done. Percentage slopes, the engineers rule, and a few other things are required there as part of the training package as far as math goes. Like it or not, math skills are necessary.
Oxygen Acetylene Cutting Skills
Used mostly in demolition work for cutting rebar and steel in concrete, this skill opens the door to a lot of work opportunity. Our students learn Oxy Ace well enough to teach this class to others. In more than a few cases, the operator had to show the cutter how to safely get set up. Students here have memorized the setup procedures, getting a flame, the cutting techniques and the MSHA and OSHA safety requirements associated with the process of its storage, usage, and transport.
Hand Signals
Knowing the hand signals is only a part of what is considered here. Giving the right signal to the right person at the right time is a more accurate picture of what having hand signal skills is about.
Dig Alert Skills
Having the skill to accurately delineate an excavation area for facility locators is required by law in California. The law says that someone on every job site must be designated as the competent person. In most cases, it is the operator. Most view it this way:
If you hit a gas line and break it, know that you are the one who hit it and broke it. If you had the accident because your boss told you to dig without calling dig alert or maybe he did call but it wasn’t potholed because the crew convinced you it was too hot for them to do the digging, guess what? You still get credit for hitting it and breaking it. And, if someone got hurt or killed, even though the company you work for will pay the fine and other costs, remember that you are the one who hit it, broke it, and will get the blame for those getting injured or killed. You need to know that you have something to say in the matter of your digging and what you should say is: “if dig alert is utilized, if potholing is properly done, and if a spotter is used, digging accidents become slim to none.” In California there is a possibility of a $50,000.00 fine, plus the cost of repairs, and civil damages when an operator fails to utilize dig alert procedures and hits a gas line or another facility.
Safety and First Aid Skills
Our students are trained and know how to respond to a hit and broken underground pipe or wire. They are skilled in fire extinguishers, fire procedures, proper lifting procedures, traming techniques, first aid. They demonstrate awareness for personal safety, environmental safety, and equipment safety.
Safety
The most important of all of the skills is Safety. Properly given MSHA safety training has saved lives, hundreds of lives. MSHA safety training provides layers of safety. The difference between MSHA safety and OSHA safety is like in these two examples: To get into an OSHA building you will find the front door has a dead bolt lock on it. To get into an MSHA building you will find the front door had a dead bolt on it and there is a security screen door with a dead bolt in it as well. MSHA safety training is a higher level of training. When MSHA people tie their shoes, they put the extra knot into their tie to make sure that it does not come undone. This the kind of safety training you will get here.
Life Skills
The importance of being on the same page with others in the industry cannot be overstated. Life skills are those skills that result in you having the right contacts and being seen by others as one who conducts themselves safely and responsibly. Life skills are important and I will give you one here. Call 5 to 10 of the graduates on our list and ask them about the training they received here.
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