Transportation Security Screeners

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
• Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.
• Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
• Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.
• Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
• Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
• Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.
• Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
• Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.
• Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.
• Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.
• Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
• Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
• Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
• Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.
• Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
• Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
• Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.
• Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
• Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
• Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
• Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.
• Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

Abilities

• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.

Knowledge

• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

65960/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

31.71/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

1,360

Yearly Projected Openings

130

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control
• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability

Tools

• Chemical test strips or papers
• Desktop computers
• Loupes
• Magnetic particle examination equipment
• Metal detectors
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Special purpose telephones
• Two way radios
• Ultrasonic examination equipment
• Ultraviolet UV lamps
• Weapon or explosives detectors and supplies
• X ray radiography examination equipment

Technology

• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Computer based training software
• Electronic mail software
• Human resources software
• Internet browser software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software