Working Conditions Repairers may work in stooped or cramped positions, to reach the underside of a generator, for example. They also may work from the top of a ladder when repairing a large machine. These workers are subject to common shop injuries such as cuts and bruises. Because factories and other organizations cannot afford breakdowns in industrial machinery, industrial machinery repairers may be called to the plant at night or on weekends for emergency repairs. Employment Industrial machinery repairers held about 465,000 jobs in 1990.
Repairers work in every industry in which a great deal of machinery is used.
Six of every ten work in manufacturing industries, primarily in machine shops, printing plants, oil refineries, garment shops, automobile and aircraft companies, and food processing plants. Others work for government agencies and for service firms that maintain equipment for a fee. Because industrial machinery repairers work in a wide variety of plants, they are employed in every section of the country. Employment is concentrated, however, in heavily industrialized areas. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement Most workers who become industrial machinery repairers start as helpers and pick up the skills of the trade informally and by taking courses offered by machine manufacturers.