Burner operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between burner operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, which is higher than the $35,893 average annual salary of a burner operator.

The top three skills for a burner operator include CNC, propane and calipers. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Burner operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Burner Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$35,893	$36,453
Hourly rate	$17.26	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	45,861	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	4

Burner operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Burner operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Burner Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$35,893	$36,453
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $42,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between burner operator and material handler/forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a burner operator and a material handler/forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Burner Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Burner operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between burner operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Burner Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between burner operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Burner operator example responsibilities.

Exhibit leadership skills by managing co-worker assignments while simultaneously monitoring the skate floor
Pull stock orders, cut steel, operate overhead cranes and CNC burners, cold see, bandsaw.
Operate battery of circular saws to cut plastic blocks containing ceramic-coat aluminum rods to length for processing into electronic resistors.
Exhibit leadership skills by managing co-worker assignments while simultaneously monitoring the skate floor

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Burner operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common burner operator skills

CNC, 39%
Propane, 19%
Calipers, 16%
Cranes, 6%
Torches, 5%
Hoists, 3%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Burner Operator
Burner Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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