Riggers

Job Overview

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

• Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
• Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
• Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools.
• Select gear such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
• Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.
• Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.
• Install ground rigging for yarding lines, attaching chokers to logs and to the lines.
• Align, level, and anchor machinery.
• Fabricate, set up, and repair rigging, supporting structures, hoists, and pulling gear, using hand and power tools.
• Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets.
• Clean and dress machine surfaces and component parts.
• Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps.
• Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use.
• Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation.

Prior experience typically ranges from 3-6 months to 2-4 years in related rigging or heavy equipment support roles.

On-the-job training may take several weeks to months, depending on previous experience and job complexity.