what does an overhead crane operator do?
The overhead crane operator role is known by many other names, including overhead travelling crane driver, lifting equipment operator, slinger signaller operator, cab operator, and ball hook operator. Your main mission is to operate heavy handling equipment, notably overhead travelling cranes, gantry cranes and other specialised equipment, such as container handling cranes and construction machinery. You take part in all operations involving the movement of bulky materials and heavy parts, lifting, loading, unloading, transhipment and positioning.
what is your mission as an overhead crane operator?
Your missions depend on the type of site and the nature of the loads to be moved. You operate your gantry or overhead travelling crane by remote control from the ground, or directly from a cab, depending on the machine used. You move heavy loads to workshops, lorries or ships, following instructions given by ground staff. You are also responsible for maintaining your machine and associated equipment. You strictly follow site safety instructions, for your own protection and for the safety of people and property on site.
Does the overhead crane operator role match your desire to contribute to very large scale projects? Discover which skills and qualifications you need to become an overhead crane operator.
explore our vacanciesaverage salary for an overhead crane operator.
The gross monthly salary for a beginner overhead crane operator is approximately €2,900 gross per month.
which factors determine salary in an overhead crane operator role?
Your salary generally evolves according to various criteria, such as the sector in which you work, construction, steelmaking, waste management, the risk level, for example nuclear industry, or the working environment, freight zone, shipyard, industrial company. Employers may also adjust pay according to the region, your experience in the role, and your certifications and authorisations. Some companies offer benefits such as a thirteenth month payment, one or more annual bonuses, attractive collective agreements, or advantageous pension conditions. Finally, salary levels can vary according to labour market conditions in your sector, higher pay may be negotiable when qualified labour is scarce or there are few applicants for the same position.
types of overhead crane operator roles.
There are different types of overhead crane operator roles, such as:
- Ground based operator, also called a slinger signaller operator, you work with a radio controlled unit. You select the appropriate slings, that is the attachments used to secure heavy loads, bulky materials and industrial parts. These can be chains, ropes, webbing, strops, straps or cables, depending on the load.
- Cab operator, you work at height, at the top of an overhead travelling crane or a gantry. You hold a high responsibility role and follow your ground team’s instructions to avoid any risk of dropped loads or crushing.
- Ball hook operator, you handle loads using a crane equipped with a ball hook at the attachment point.
- Nuclear site operator, you work on sites linked to nuclear activity.
working as an overhead crane operator.
Reporting to a workshop supervisor, you work in an industrial building or outdoors, in collaboration with a slinger signaller or other team members. You move heavy loads while adhering to strict safety rules. Learn more about the overhead crane operator’s day to day work, working time arrangements and career prospects.
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tasks and responsibilities
As an overhead crane operator, you carry out a wide variety of activities, including:
- preparing for shift handover and start up by visually checking the different components of the equipment used
- using several types of lifting equipment, gantry cranes and overhead travelling cranes, from the ground or from a cab, in workshops, on construction sites or in industrial settings
- slinging items to be moved using appropriate slings
- moving loads, supplying materials, emptying skips and loading vehicles
- storing goods
- performing maintenance and minor repairs on and around your crane
- reminding colleagues of safety rules when manoeuvres present a higher risk of accident
- assessing load weights by visual inspection or by calculation methods learned during the CACES, Certificat d’Aptitude à la Conduite en Sécurité, examination
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working environment
Depending on the employer, you may work in a warehouse, in a workshop, on a loading dock or on construction sites. You can operate a crane from the ground or from a cab using joystick controls or button based remote controls. Depending on the work, you may be required to travel, particularly for construction projects.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer, your colleagues may include banksmen, slinger signallers and crane operators. You may also work with forklift operators and other specialists, such as plant operators.
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work organisation
Your working hours can vary significantly depending on assignments, the sector of the company you work for and the economic situation. Some industries offer three shift systems with eight hour rotations to ensure continuous operations, others offer standard 40 hour contracts. Weekly hours often change due to fluctuations in activity, higher orders, seasonal variations, which can lead to overtime or, conversely, enforced rest periods.
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career prospects
After gaining experience in the role, you can train to operate equipment capable of handling even heavier loads. After several years, a typical progression is to become a team leader or workshop supervisor. Some operators move into crane operation, into training others on overhead travelling cranes, or become CACES trainers within accredited centres or within companies specialised in specific sectors, nuclear, naval, defence, rail.
getting an overhead crane operator role with randstad.
When you search for your overhead crane operator role with Randstad, you benefit from attractive advantages, such as:
- a wide variety of companies to work in and development opportunities
- an experienced point of contact to support you when needed
- a broad range of opportunities in your sector
- weekly or monthly pay depending on the assignment
- permanent contracts, CDI, fixed term contracts, CDD, and temporary assignments
Would you like to be hired on a CDI, permanent contract? In many cases, working in a temporary assignment as an overhead crane operator is a first step and acts as a springboard to obtaining a permanent contract. Many companies also recruit employees on a CDI via Randstad.
training and skills.
Overhead crane operation is one of the few professions still accessible without a formal diploma. Motivation and high mobility can be enough to convince an employer.
That said, the role is dangerous, which leads most companies to prioritise qualified, trained profiles, and many are willing to offer internal training.
To strengthen an application, an aspiring operator can obtain in advance:
- A CAP or BEP in industrial maintenance, electromechanics or electronics.
- A vocational or technical baccalaureate in an industrial field, for example maintenance, electromechanics or electrical engineering.
- the CACES certificate, Certificat d’Aptitude à la Conduite en Sécurité, is often required
- Ability to read lifting plans, an operator must be able to read and interpret lifting plans to understand the specific lifting requirements of each task, precise adherence to plans is essential to carry out operations safely and to avoid accidents.
- Communication and coordination skills, an operator must remain in constant communication with other team members on site, such as crane drivers, team leaders and supervisors. Clear communication and coordination are therefore important to ensure safe and effective teamwork.
know how and competencies.
Being an overhead crane operator requires numerous hard and soft skills to perform missions successfully:
- strong resistance to stress
- adherence to required work rates to support smooth and efficient operations
- meticulousness and precision in all movements
- ability to work in noisy and dusty environments
- ability to work at height without suffering from vertigo for cab based roles
- ability to trust the ground based signaller guiding you
- maximum caution during every manoeuvre
- compliance with safety and hygiene rules for lifting equipment and the work environment
- correct and appropriate use of personal protective equipment, PPE
- excellent physical condition
- advanced knowledge of mechanics, electricity, electronics and electrotechnics
- ability to assess load weights visually or through accurate mathematical calculations
FAQs.
FAQs sur le métier de pontier
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what is a slinger signaller operator?
A slinger signaller operator is responsible for moving heavy and bulky loads using an overhead travelling crane or a gantry crane from the ground. They handle the slinging of materials, that is securing and unsecuring loads.
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what is a ball hook operator?
A ball hook operator is a slinger signaller who works with a ball hook rather than a standard hook to attach loads. This suspended ball beneath the overhead crane or gantry is useful, for example, for transporting bars or bogies.
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what does a nuclear site operator do?
A nuclear site operator works specifically on a nuclear power station site, in a nuclear waste processing centre, or in the defence sector. They hold specific authorisations, such as SCN, nuclear common knowledge, RP, radiation protection certification, and CSQ, safety and quality complement. These authorisations must be renewed periodically.
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how do you apply for an overhead crane operator role?
Applying is straightforward, create a Randstad account and browse the vacancies in your sector, then send us your CV and covering letter.
