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Operate lifting or moving equipment

Work activity · O*NET

Operate lifting or moving equipment is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Controlling Machines and Processes. 62 occupations report doing it as part of their work.

What it involves

The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.

  • Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment
  • Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment
  • Operate forklifts or other loaders

How AI is applied to this activity

Microsoft's "Working with AI" study mapped real Bing Copilot conversations to O*NET work activities. The figures below are their measurements for this activity — they describe how AI is used today in one assistant's data, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.

AI completes it successfully 100.0% When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task
Scope AI handles 0.0% How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation
How often AI is applied here 6th pct Percentile across all measured activities by how often AI performs them

Source: Microsoft "Working with AI" (working-with-ai). A high completion rate means AI can assist the activity in isolation — it does not mean an occupation that performs it is being automated, since every job blends many activities.

Detailed work activities

The more granular units of work O*NET groups under this activity, ordered by how many occupations perform them.

Occupations that perform this activity

Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.

Occupation Tasks
Hoist and Winch Operators 5
Helpers--Production Workers 3
Commercial Divers 2
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas 2
Glaziers 2
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers 2
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 2
Riggers 2
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas 2
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas 2
Structural Iron and Steel Workers 2
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters 2
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders 1
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 1
Boilermakers 1
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists 1
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 1
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators 1
Continuous Mining Machine Operators 1
Crane and Tower Operators 1
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 1
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 1
Dredge Operators 1
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 1
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 1
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas 1
Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers 1
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 1
Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers 1
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters 1
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders 1
Foundry Mold and Coremakers 1
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 1
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers 1
Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters 1
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians 1
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 1
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 1
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic 1
Maintenance Workers, Machinery 1

Showing 40 of 62 occupations.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 39 occupations in occupations that perform Operate lifting or moving equipment.. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Foundry Mold and Coremakers Structural Iron and Steel Workers Dredge Operators Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Boilermakers Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians Hydroelectric Plant Technicians Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
Occupations that perform Operate lifting or moving equipment., by AI task-overlap and median pay

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Operate lifting or moving equipment." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-lifting-or-moving-equipment

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Operate lifting or moving equipment. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-lifting-or-moving-equipment

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-operate-lifting-or-moving-equipment,
  title  = {Operate lifting or moving equipment},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-lifting-or-moving-equipment}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.