Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RC
Hoist and Winch Operators
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
Also called: Hoist Operator, Hoistman, Service Operator, Winch Derrick Operator, Hoisting Operator, Winchman.
O*NET 53-7041.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $56,450
- Middle half earn $42,690 to $94,350. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Operate compressed air, diesel, electric, gasoline, or steam-driven hoists or winches to control movement of cableways, cages, derricks, draglines, loaders, railcars, or skips.
- Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
- Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- Apply hand or foot brakes and move levers to lock hoists or winches.
- Repair, maintain, and adjust equipment, using hand tools.
- Tend auxiliary equipment, such as jacks, slings, cables, or stop blocks, to facilitate moving items or materials for further processing.
- Move levers, pedals, and throttles to stop, start, and regulate speeds of hoist or winch drums in response to hand, bell, buzzer, telephone, loud-speaker, or whistle signals, or by observing dial indicators or cable marks.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Monitoring3.6 / 5
- Active Listening3.4 / 5
- Speaking3.1 / 5
- Active Learning2.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical3.1 / 5
- English Language2.9 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service2.9 / 5
- Production and Processing2.8 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.8 / 5
- Transportation2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic98
- Investigative9
- Artistic1
- Social8
- Enterprising8
- Conventional39
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- rigger · DE Anschläger/Anschlägerin · FR monteur/monteuse
- ground rigger · DE Veranstaltungsrigger für Arbeiten am Boden/Veranstaltungsriggerin für Arbeiten am Boden · FR monteur au sol/monteuse au sol
- high rigger · DE Veranstaltungsrigger/Veranstaltungsriggerin · FR cordiste
- container crane operator · DE Verladebrückenführer/Verladebrückenführerin · FR conducteur de portique/conductrice de portique
- mobile crane operator · DE Autokranführer/Autokranführerin · FR conducteur de grue mobile/conductrice de grue mobile
- production plant crane operator · DE Baukranführer/Baukranführerin · FR pontier/pontière
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Crane drivers (8221)11,500 employed
- Scaffolders, stagers and riggers (8151)23,600 employed
- Other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. (8239)22,600 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €39,630 |
| Netherlands | €37,567 |
| Austria | €37,304 |
| Sweden | €36,005 |
| Germany | €34,433 |
| Ireland | €32,617 |
| France | €28,550 |
| Italy | €28,330 |
| Spain | €24,409 |
| Portugal | €11,309 |
| Poland | €10,259 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.98. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-7041).
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