Other material moving equipment operators tend air compressors or pumps at construction sites, or operate oil or natural gas pumps and compressors at wells and on pipelines. Some operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as mine or railroad tank car unloading equipment. Material moving equipment operators may keep records of materials moved, and do some manual loading and unloading. They also may clean, fuel, and service their equipment. Industrial truck and tractor operators work mainly in warehouses or manufacturing plants.
Some machines are noisy and shake or jolt the operator.
These jobs have become much safer with overhead guards on forklift trucks and other safety equipment. As with most machinery, most accidents can be avoided by observing proper operating procedures and safety practices. Most of these were industrial truck and tractor operators. Over 33 percent of all material moving equipment operators worked in transportation, public utilities, wholesale trade or retail trade industries. Significant numbers of material moving equipment operators also worked in construction, mining, and service industries.