How to become a Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 2024

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; HVAC maintenance; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is Also Know as

In different settings, Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is titled as

Building Mechanic
Equipment Engineering Technician
Facilities Technician
Maintenance Engineer
Maintenance Journeyman
Maintenance Man
Maintenance Mechanic
Maintenance Specialist
Maintenance Technician
Maintenance Worker

Education and Training of Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Training Required for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Maintenance and Repair Workers, General in different industries are

What Do Maintenance and Repair Workers, General do?

Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.
Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
Record type and cost of maintenance or repair work.
Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery.
Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams.
Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
Paint or repair roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, plaster, drywall, or other parts of building structures.
Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts.
Align and balance new equipment after installation.
Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments.
Set up and operate machine tools to repair or fabricate machine parts, jigs, fixtures, or tools.
Fabricate or repair counters, benches, partitions, or other wooden structures, such as sheds or outbuildings.
Lay brick to repair or maintain buildings, walls, arches, or other structures.
Grind and reseat valves, using valve-grinding machines.
Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools.
Install equipment to improve the energy or operational efficiency of residential or commercial buildings.
Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency.
Position, attach, or blow insulating materials to prevent energy losses from buildings, pipes, or other structures or objects.
Test and treat water supply.
Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools.
Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories.
Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.
Perform general cleaning of buildings or properties.
Train or manage maintenance personnel or subcontractors.
Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal.
Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures.
Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures.

Qualities of Good Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Adjustable crescent wrenches
Adjustable hand wrenches
Adjustable slip lock nut wrenches
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Air compressors
Allen wrenches
Augers
Ball peen hammers
Basin wrenches
Bearing pullers
Biscuit joiners
Block and tackle equipment
Brazing equipment
Bubble levels
Caulking guns
Center punches
Chain pullers
Channel lock pliers
Chipping hammers
Circle cutters
Circular saws
Claw hammers
Closet augers
Combination squares
Comealongs
Compression sleeve pullers
Concrete saws
Concrete trowels
Conduit benders
Conduit cutters
Copper cutting machines
Cordless power drills
Crowbars
Current testers
Cutting torches
Dead blow hammers
Desktop computers
Diagonal cutting pliers
Dial calipers
Dial indicators
Digital micrometers
Direct tap machines
Dollies
Drain augers
Drain cleaning cables
Drill presses
Dump trucks
Dust and particulate respirators
Electric nail guns
Electric planers
Electric sanders
Electric trimmers
End pipe wrenches
Faucet handle pullers
Faucet stem and cartridge pullers
Feeler gauges
Fish tape pullers
Flaring tools
Flat blade screwdrivers
Fuse pullers
Gas welders
Gasket cutters
Grease guns
Hacksaws
Hammer drills
Hand drills
Hand grinders
Hand jacks
Hand levels
Hand operated spray guns
Hand saws
Hand spinners
Hand trucks
Handheld computers
Heavy duty drain cleaning machines
Hex key sets
Hex wrenches
High pressure water sprayers
Hoisting equipment
Hole cutting tools
Hollow core socket wrenches
Hydraulic boom trucks
Ice picks
Industrial brooms
Inspection mirrors
Jackhammers
Jig saws
Laptop computers
Lathes
Lawn mowers
Locking C-clamps
Locking pliers
Manual ratchet threader sets
Measuring tapes
Metal chisels
Mini hacksaws
Mini tubing cutters
Mitre boxes
Needlenose pliers
Nut drivers
Offset pipe wrenches
Offset socket wrenches
Ohmmeters
Oil dispensing cans
Paint application brushes
Paint application rollers
Paint spray guns
Personal computers
Phillips head screwdrivers
Pin punches
Pipe cleaning equipment
Pipe cutters
Pipe threaders
Pipe vises
Pipe welding vises
Pipe wrenches
Plumb bobs
Plungers
Polyvinyl chloride PVC cutters
Polyvinyl chloride PVC saws
Portable two way radios
Portable welding machines
Power drain cleaners
Power drills
Power lifts
Power pipe cutters
Power routers
Power saws
Precision files
Pressurized water pigs
Protective harnesses
Pry bars
Putty knives
Radial arm saws
Ratchet wrenches
Ratcheting polyvinyl chloride PVC cutters
Reciprocating saws
Rigging equipment
Right-angle drills
Rotary hammers
Rubber mallets
Rulers
Safety gloves
Safety goggles
Safety shoes
Scaffolding
Screw extractor sets
Scribers
Sectional drain cleaning machines
Security alarm systems
Sewage pumps
Sewer rodding machines
Sewer tapes
Sharpening equipment
Shears
Shielded arc welding tools
Side cutting pliers
Sledgehammers
Slip joint pliers
Snow blowers
Snow shovels
Snowplows
Socket wrench sets
Soil pipe cutters
Soldering equipment
Spirit levels
Step ladders
Straight pipe wrenches
Straight screwdrivers
Straightedges
Stud locators
Table saws
Tap sets
Tension gauges
Tile saws
Tin snips
Toilet augers
Torque wrenches
Tractors with backhoe attachments
Trenchers
Tub drain removers
Tube benders
Tubing cutters
Two-wheel drive front end loaders
Ultrasonic leak detectors
Universal nut wrenches
Utility knives
Utility pumps
Valve grinding machines
Vise grip pliers
Volt-ammeters
Volt-ohm meters VOM
Voltage testers
Water pump pliers
Water samplers
Welders
Welding clamps
Wide roll pipe cutters
Wire crimpers
Wire cutting tools
Wire strippers
Workshop bench vises
Workshop cranes

Technology Skills required for Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Apple macOS
Autodesk AutoCAD
Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
Computerized time management systems
Dassault Systemes CATIA
Data entry software
Database software
Digital direct control DDC energy management software
Dropbox
Eko
Facebook
FaceTime
Google Docs
GroupMe
Handheld computer device software
IBM Notes
Linux
Loom
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
National Instruments LabVIEW
Operating system software
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
PTC Creo Parametric
SAP software
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
Web browser software
Yardi software
YouTube

US Universities

How to become Maintenance and Repair Workers, General in 2024