Excavator operator jobs in Finland
Excavator operators use excavators to dig into earth or other materials to remove it. They are involved in a variety of projects, such as demolition, dredging, and the of digging holes, foundations and trenches.
Excavator operator – how much is the pay in Finland?
What the trade paid in 2024
| Median | 19.72 €/h |
|---|---|
| Bottom tenth | 15.05 €/h |
| Top tenth | 27.53 €/h |
| Employees | 10,750 |
Pay by sex, 2024
| Sex | Median | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 18.05 €/h | 382 |
| Men | 19.80 €/h | 10,368 |
Excavator operator - Which skills are essential?
Inspect heavy equipment for construction projects before each use. Maintain the machine in good working order, taking care of small repairs and alerting the responsible person in case of serious defects.
Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose.
Use mechanical equipment to dig up and move soil. Form pits according to excavation plans.
Understand machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Ensure health and safety during the construction project by inspecting the construction site regularly. Identify risks of putting people in danger or of damaging construction equipment.
Prepare trenches for sewer pipes. Dig judiciously according to plans, avoiding underground utility infrastructure. Brace the trench to prevent compaction of the sewer pipe. Fill the trench after the pipes have been installed.
Consult utility companies or plans on the location of any utility infrastructure that may interfere with a project or be damaged by it. Take the necessary steps to avoid damage.
Mechanical systems, including gears, engines, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Their functions and likely defects.
Apply the relevant health and safety procedures in construction in order to prevent accidents, pollution and other risks.
Be aware of the threats posed by potentially dangerous goods such as polluting, toxic, corrosive, or explosive materials.
Operate excavators used to dig materials from the surface and load them onto dump trucks.
Use GPS Systems.
Drive movable heavy equipment used in construction. Load the equipment onto low loaders, or unload it. Judiciously drive equipment on public roads when required.
Monitor the situation around you and anticipate. Be ready to take quick and appropriate action in case of unexpected events.
Use elements of protective clothing such as steel-tipped shoes, and gear such as protective goggles, in order to minimise risk of accidents in construction and to mitigate any injury if an accident does occur.
The methods to remove rock and soil, used in an excavation site and the associated risks.
Change the profile of the earth surface, turning it flat or shaping it to match a certain slope. Remove irregularities such as knolls, pits and ditches.
Excavator operator - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Manually or automatically sort waste by separating it into its different elements.
Operate a scraper, a piece of heavy equipment that scrapes a layer of soil from the surface and transports it in a hopper.
Work with heavy construction machinery independently without the intervention of a supervisor. Take responsibility for your decisions and actions.
Evaluate how much stock is used and determine what should be ordered.
Bring construction materials, tools and equipment to the construction site and store them properly taking various aspects into account such as the workers' safety and protection from deterioration.
Work as part of a team in a construction project. Communicate efficiently, sharing information with team members and reporting to supervisors. Follow instructions and adapt to changes in a flexible manner.
Operate various types of mechanic and manual road rollers, pieces of equipment used to compact surfaces.
Operate a tracked or wheeled bulldozer, a powerful piece of machinery equipped with a shovel-like blade used to move earth, rubble or other material over the ground.
Operate a grader, a piece of heavy equipment used in construction to create a flat surface.
The maximum load capacity of the operated piece of machinery, under different circumstances and in different positions and movements. Passive load capacity and active load capacity, which is measure while in motion.
File and organise personal administration documents comprehensively.
Interpret and understand plans and drawings in manufacturing processes which include representations in three dimensions.
Conduct routine maintenance on equipment. Recognise and identify minor defects in equipment and make repairs if appropriate.
Understand the principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.
Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
Secure heavy equipment such as tower cranes or concrete pumps before, during, and after use to prevent damage to the machines, workforce or construction site. Take precautionary steps such as retracting the robotic arm of concrete pumps or bringing the hook block back to the jib.
Interpret and understand plans and drawings in manufacturing processes which include representations in two dimensions.
Set up a variety of temporary infrastructure used on building sites. Put up fences and signs. Set up any construction trailers and make sure that these are connected to electricity lines and water supply. Establish supplies stores and garbage disposal in a sensible manner.
Take necessary precautions and follow a set of measures that assess, prevent and tackle risks when working at a high distance from the ground. Prevent endangering people working under these structures and avoid falls from ladders, mobile scaffolding, fixed working bridges, single person lifts etc. since they may cause fatalities or major injuries.
Test the capacity of the ground to support the load applied to it before installing heavy structures, such as tower cranes, or before driving on it with heavy vehicles.