Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

Job purpose

To move freight, stock and other materials by hand or with powered equipment between storage and production areas, loading docks, vehicles, ships and containers, and to secure, label and record what is handled, so that materials arrive undamaged and stock is protected and accounted for.

Skills

• Practical knowledge of safe handling and load-securing methods — bracing, padding, strapping, slings and hooks — of the principles of moving goods by road, rail, sea and air, of production and quality-control practice, and of arithmetic sufficient to count, measure and estimate quantities. A high school diploma is the norm, with a substantial minority holding less than that, and from a few days to a year of on-the-job training.
• Takes assignments from written work orders and oral instructions, and communicates with supervisors and co-workers about materials, equipment needs and the state of loads. Works within a team throughout, coordinates and leads others in shared activities, and trains and coaches colleagues in handling methods.
• Inspects equipment, structures and materials to identify the cause of damage or defects, and judges how goods should be sorted, positioned, stacked and secured. Problems are practical and recurrent, with established method and a supervisor available, but decisions are frequent and mistakes carry consequences for co-workers and results.
• Organises and prioritises the day's work, sequencing loading, unloading and sorting around the work orders received and the movement of vehicles, under time pressure and at a pace partly set by the equipment in use.
• Physical skill is central. Uses the hands throughout to handle, control and feel objects, tools and controls, and uses arms, legs and the whole body in climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping and handling materials. Operates trucks and tractors, adjusts the controls of cranes and booms, assembles crates from precut lumber with hand tools, and attaches slings and hooks to guide loads.

Responsibilities

• No line management. Coordinates and leads other workers in shared activities, trains and coaches colleagues in handling methods, and holds responsibility for the health and safety of those working alongside as well as personal safety.
• No budget and no authority to commit spend. Records the numbers of units handled or moved on daily production sheets and work tickets; the care taken in packing, bracing and securing bears directly on damage and loss to the goods passing through.
• Some responsibility for goods and equipment: handles freight, stock, luggage and other materials throughout their movement, maintains equipment storage areas so inventory is protected, fits bracing and strapping against shifting and damage, sorts cargo, and packs or re-packs containers. Uses and cares for hand tools, slings, hooks, trucks, tractors and the controls of cranes and booms.
• Accountable for a narrow but consequential set of records: reads work orders to establish assignments and material needs, records units handled, and attaches or marks identifying information on containers. Content and structure are set by others, and exactness matters because stock records and later handling depend on it.

Effort required

• Being exact and accurate is important throughout. Attention is needed to identify materials correctly, spot damage and defects, estimate what will fit and hold, and track equipment and vehicles moving nearby. Decisions are frequent, much of the work repeats the same tasks, and vigilance must be held around hazardous equipment where error has consequences for co-workers and results.
• Works in close proximity to others as part of a team, with frequent face-to-face contact, and carries responsibility for colleagues' safety. The repetitive character of the work calls for steadiness of application.
• The physical demand is moderate and sustained: long periods standing, heavy use of the hands, repetitive motions, bending and twisting, work in cramped spaces and awkward positions, and the manual lifting and carrying of freight, stock and tools.

Working conditions

• Physically demanding and hazardous surroundings: outdoors in all weather and under cover, and indoors where the environment is not controlled, with exposure to contaminants, very hot or cold temperatures, distracting noise, cramped work space, and hazardous equipment and conditions carrying a risk of minor burns, cuts, bites or stings. Time is spent in open vehicles or operating equipment, and protective equipment such as safety shoes, gloves, hearing protection and hard hats is worn as a matter of course.
• Most postholders work a regular established schedule, though a significant minority work irregular patterns changing with weather, production demands or the length of a contract, and a small number work seasonally; a majority work more than a forty-hour week. Work is paced by time pressure and by the equipment, but within that the postholder decides the order of tasks and immediate priorities, making frequent decisions that bear on co-workers and results.