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Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
    • Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
    • Install electrical wires and controls by attaching conduit along shaft walls from floor to floor and pulling plastic-covered wires through the conduit.
    • Attach guide shoes and rollers to minimize the lateral motion of cars as they travel through shafts.
    • Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms.
    • Read and interpret blueprints to determine the layout of system components, frameworks, and foundations, and to select installation equipment.
    • Operate elevators to determine power demands, and test power consumption to detect overload factors.
    • Assemble elevator cars, installing each car's platform, walls, and doors.
    • Test newly installed equipment to ensure that it meets specifications, such as stopping at floors for set amounts of time.
    • Install electrical wires and controls by attaching conduit along shaft walls from floor to floor and pulling plastic-covered wires through the conduit.
    • Connect electrical wiring to control panels and electric motors.
    • Participate in additional training to keep skills up to date.
    • Install outer doors and door frames at elevator entrances on each floor of a structure.
    • Cut prefabricated sections of framework, rails, and other components to specified dimensions.
    • Maintain log books that detail all repairs and checks performed.
    • Operate elevators to determine power demands, and test power consumption to detect overload factors.
    • Bolt or weld steel rails to the walls of shafts to guide elevators, working from scaffolding or platforms.
    • Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
    • Inspect wiring connections, control panel hookups, door installations, and alignments and clearances of cars and hoistways to ensure that equipment will operate properly.
    • Locate malfunctions in brakes, motors, switches, and signal and control systems, using test equipment.
    • Connect car frames to counterweights, using steel cables.
    • Assemble electrically powered stairs, steel frameworks, and tracks, and install associated motors and electrical wiring.
    • Check that safety regulations and building codes are met, and complete service reports verifying conformance to standards.
    • Assemble, install, repair, and maintain elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, and dumbwaiters, using hand and power tools, and testing devices such as test lamps, ammeters, and voltmeters.
    • Adjust safety controls, counterweights, door mechanisms, and components such as valves, ratchets, seals, and brake linings.
    • Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
    • Disassemble defective units, and repair or replace parts such as locks, gears, cables, and electric wiring.
    • Assemble electrically powered stairs, steel frameworks, and tracks, and install associated motors and electrical wiring.

    Skills

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

    Abilities

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

    Knowledge

    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • 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.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • 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.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • 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.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • 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.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • 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.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Apprenticeship

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    133030/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    63.96/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    430
    Yearly Projected Openings
    40

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Cautiousness
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Adjustable widemouth pliers
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Ammeters
    • Blow torch
    • Calibrated resistance measuring equipment
    • Capacitance meters
    • Circuit tester
    • Cleaning scrapers
    • Conduit benders
    • Diagonal cut pliers
    • Dollies
    • Electronic measuring probes
    • Flat hand file
    • Graphic recorders
    • Grease guns
    • Grinding machines
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammers
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic cylinder or component repair kits
    • Ladders
    • Levels
    • Linemans pliers
    • Longnose pliers
    • Megohmmeters
    • Microcontrollers
    • Micrometers
    • Multimeters
    • Notebook computers
    • Ohmmeters
    • Open end wrenches
    • Oscilloscopes
    • Personal computers
    • Phasemeters
    • Platform lift
    • Plumb bobs
    • Power drills
    • Power grinders
    • Power saws
    • Pressure indicators
    • Pull spring balances
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine
    • Signal generators
    • Slings
    • Soldering iron
    • Spot welding machine
    • Stripping tools
    • Tablet computers
    • Tachometers
    • Tape measures
    • Tensiometers
    • Thermographs
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Two way radios
    • Utility knives
    • Vacuum pumps
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire cutters

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Facilities management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software