Hoist and Winch Operators
Operate or tend hoists or winches to lift and pull loads using power-operated cable equipment.
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Time Management
- Active Listening
- Operation and Control
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Production and Processing
- Transportation
- Public Safety and Security
- Telecommunications
- Administration and Management
What the work involves
- 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.
- Start engines of hoists or winches and use levers and pedals to wind or unwind cable on drums.
- Observe equipment gauges and indicators and hand signals of other workers to verify load positions or depths.
- Move or reposition hoists, winches, loads and materials, manually or using equipment and machines such as trucks, cars, and hand trucks.
- Select loads or materials according to weight and size specifications.
- Signal and assist other workers loading or unloading materials.
- Attach, fasten, and disconnect cables or lines to loads, materials, and equipment, using hand tools.
- Apply hand or foot brakes and move levers to lock hoists or winches.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (65.4% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (28.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (55.1%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Hoist and Winch Operators is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 93% of occupations compared | 30% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 83% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 83% of occupations compared | — |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 89% of occupations compared | 58% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 97% of occupations compared | — |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 78% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | High | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 62% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 84% of occupations compared | 53% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Occasional contact with others: 25.9%
- Contact with others about half the time: 20.73%
- Contact with others most of the time: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Constant contact with others: 29.86%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 41.05%
- Fairly important: 13.75%
- Important: 13.75%
- Very important: 22.62%
- Extremely important: 8.83%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: 17.67%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 20.73%
- Very little freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Limited freedom: 5.17%
- Some freedom: 58.2%
- A lot of freedom: 15.9%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: 8.57%
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: 15.64%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 10.67%
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: 22.84%
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 8.78%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 27.18%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 43.31%
- Once a week or more but not every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Every day: 20.73%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 0.21%
- Fairly serious: 0.26%
- Serious: 52.81%
- Very serious: 10.35%
- Extremely serious: 36.37%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 53-7041.00 · SOC 53-7041 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8