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Rock Splitters, Quarry

Separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Mark dimensions or outlines on stone prior to cutting, using rules and chalk lines.
    • Insert wedges and feathers into holes, and drive wedges with sledgehammers to split stone sections from masses.
    • Set charges of explosives to split rock.
    • Locate grain line patterns to determine how rocks will split when cut.
    • Remove pieces of stone from larger masses, using jackhammers, wedges, and other tools.
    • Drill holes into sides of stones broken from masses, insert dogs or attach slings, and direct removal of stones.
    • Drill holes into sides of stones broken from masses, insert dogs or attach slings, and direct removal of stones.
    • Cut grooves along outlines, using chisels.
    • Drill holes along outlines, using jackhammers.
    • Cut slabs of stone into sheets that will be used for floors or counters.

    Skills

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

    Abilities

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

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • 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.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • 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.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • 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.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    U.S. Annual Salary
    47460/yr
    U.S. Hourly Wage
    22.82/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    3,800
    Yearly Projected Openings
    400

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Independence
    • Integrity
    • Social Orientation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Air compressors
    • Belt conveyors
    • Bench dog
    • Chain saw
    • Chalk lines
    • Cold chisels
    • Crushers
    • Demolition hammers
    • Derricks
    • Dump trucks
    • Filtering machinery
    • Floor or platform scales
    • Forklifts
    • Front end loaders
    • Hammer drills
    • Hammers
    • Hand held rock drills
    • Hydraulic rock drills
    • Jacks
    • Manlift or personnel lift
    • Personal computers
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pneumatic rock drills
    • Power drills
    • Power saws
    • Repetitive impact systems
    • Rock crushers
    • Rock cutters
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Sledge hammer
    • Slings
    • Spot welding machine
    • Track bulldozers
    • Track excavators
    • Wedges

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Facilities management software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Time accounting software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software