Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Troubleshooting
- Quality Control Analysis
- Operation and Control
Key knowledge
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Education and Training
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
What the work involves
- Inspect materials and products for defects, and to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Push dual control buttons and move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment.
- Identify and mark materials, products, and samples, following instructions.
- Load materials and products into machines and equipment, or onto conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices.
- Clean and maintain machinery, equipment, and work areas to ensure proper functioning and safe working conditions.
- Weigh or measure materials or products to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Fasten, package, or stack materials and products, using hand tools and fastening equipment.
- Record production and operational data, such as amount of materials processed.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (73% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (32.5%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (35.6%)
- 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 Machine Feeders and Offbearers 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 83% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 95% of occupations compared | 56% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 79% of occupations compared | 35% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 97% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Limited freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 62% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 69% of occupations compared | 29% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 66% of occupations compared | 37% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Consequence of error | Moderate | Higher on consequence of error than 51% of occupations compared | 26% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: moderate
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: 0.96%
- Occasional contact with others: 12.87%
- Contact with others about half the time: 16.61%
- Contact with others most of the time: 37.65%
- Constant contact with others: 31.92%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 56.05%
- Fairly important: 15.45%
- Important: 14.54%
- Very important: 13%
- Extremely important: 0.96%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 2.87%
- Fairly important: 9.76%
- Important: 19.54%
- Very important: 35.22%
- Extremely important: 32.61%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 24.02%
- Very little freedom: 7.45%
- Limited freedom: 33.06%
- Some freedom: 17.67%
- A lot of freedom: 17.81%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
Time pressure
- Never: 12.77%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 11.49%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 13.76%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 15.82%
- Every day: 46.16%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
Conflict situations
- Never: 29.12%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 28.72%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 14.77%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 13.6%
- Every day: 13.79%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2016
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 37.47%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 12.57%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 22.81%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.3%
- Every day: 10.86%
n = 38, Incumbent 07/2016
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 17.94%
- Fairly serious: 21.04%
- Serious: 25.93%
- Very serious: 14.53%
- Extremely serious: 20.56%
n = 39, Incumbent 07/2016
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O*NET-SOC 53-7063.00 · SOC 53-7063 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8