Occupational Profiles

Machine operators in this unit group perform some or all of the following duties:

• Operate and tend various wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark, knots and dirt from logs; reduce logs or sawmill waste into wood chips or flakes; stack and band lumber; screen wood chips; and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards and insulation boards
• Operate and tend conveyors, lathes, sanding machines and other equipment to peel and slice veneer from logs and log sections, and to glue, press, trim, sand and splice veneer sheets
• Operate and tend kilns, treating tanks and other equipment to dry lumber and other wood products, and to treat chemically and impregnate wood products with preservatives
• Observe equipment, panel indicators, video monitors, and other instruments to detect malfunctions and ensure that processes are operating according to specifications
• Assemble plywood panels and repair plywood and veneer mechanically or manually
• Start up, shut down, set up, adjust and assist in maintaining processing equipment and machines as required
• Complete and maintain production reports.

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Several months of on-the-job training are provided.
• For lumber kiln operators, particleboard operators and waferboard operators, some combination of college or company courses and up to one year of on-the-job training may be required.
• Previous experience as a labourer in wood processing may be required.