
Other wood processing machine operators
Operate wood processing equipment to remove bark from logs, produce wood chips, preserve and treat wood, and produce particleboards, plywood, veneers and similar wood products.
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Note: The data presented in this profile does not take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and labour market. Consequently, the accuracy of some of the estimates that appear in this profile may be affected.
Full NOC Description
Machine operators in this unit group operate and tend wood processing equipment and machines to remove bark from logs, produce wood chips, preserve and treat wood, and produce waferboards, particleboards, hardboards, insulation boards, plywood, veneers and similar wood products. They are employed in sawmills, woodrooms of pulp mills, planing mills, wood treatment plants, waferboard plants and other wood processing plants.
Main Duties
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.
Also Known As
- barker operator
- chipper operator
- lumber kiln operator
- particleboard line operator
- plywood panel assembler
Employment Requirements
- 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.
Provincial Regulation
Not Provincially Regulated
The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.
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The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.
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Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following graph shows the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
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Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
This following represents the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation compared to the median salary of workers employed in this occupation that work full-time year-round.
This following represents the median salary of persons employed in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.
The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).
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