Position equipment using hand tools, power tools, or heavy equipment.

Position equipment using hand tools, power tools, or heavy equipment. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 7 occupations and seen in 8 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Position tools or equipment. in Handling and Moving Objects .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 8 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts. · Millwrights · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components. · Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Remove engines from equipment, and position and bolt engines to repair stands. · Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Mount motors to boats, and operate boats at various speeds on waterways to conduct operational tests. · Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Position steel beams to support bedplates of machines and equipment, using blueprints and schematic drawings to determine work procedures. · Millwrights · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Set doors into place or stack hardware sections into openings after rail or track installation. · Mechanical Door Repairers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Position vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment. · Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Mount equipment on transmission towers and in vehicles such as ships or ambulances. · Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Millwrights
• Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
• Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
• Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians
• Mechanical Door Repairers
• Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers
• Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers

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.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-position-equipment-using-hand-tools-power-tools-or-heavy-equipment,
  title  = {Position equipment using hand tools, power tools, or heavy equipment.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/position-equipment-using-hand-tools-power-tools-or-heavy-equipment}
}