Hand rigger vs crane operator

The differences between hand riggers and crane operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a crane operator has an average salary of $54,275, which is higher than the $40,185 average annual salary of a hand rigger.

The top three skills for a hand rigger include rig, slings and . The most important skills for a crane operator are cranes, NCCCO, and CDL.

Hand rigger vs crane operator overview

	Hand Rigger	Crane Operator
Yearly salary	$40,185	$54,275
Hourly rate	$19.32	$26.09
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	4,474	34,918
Job satisfaction	-	4.67
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 56%
Average age	40	47
Years of experience	-	4

Hand rigger vs crane operator salary

Hand riggers and crane operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hand Rigger	Crane Operator
Average salary	$40,185	$54,275
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $70,000	Between $35,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	-	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Katerra
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between hand rigger and crane operator education

There are a few differences between a hand rigger and a crane operator in terms of educational background:

	Hand Rigger	Crane Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 56%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Hand rigger vs crane operator demographics

Here are the differences between hand riggers' and crane operators' demographics:

	Hand Rigger	Crane Operator
Average age	40	47
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.1% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 0.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	2%

Differences between hand rigger and crane operator duties and responsibilities

Hand rigger example responsibilities.

Transport and connect heavy equipment with slings from the oil rig and ships.
Operate crane and pipe handlers on offshore oil rig.
Direct co-workers engage in hoisting of machinery and equipment into ships.
Job are at BP chemical plant in Hugar SC.

Crane operator example responsibilities.

Perform preventive maintenance on cranes in accordance with manufacturer and OSHA requirements.
Train, test and certify to run all small and large hydraulic cranes through NCCCO.
Operate LBT and TLL cranes, loading and unloading concrete bridge girders in a precast yard in a production setting.
Rig cranes to handle constriction materials using appropriate nylon and wire rope slings, shackles and other material handling equipment.
Arch, MIG, and TIG welding.
Maintain and use appropriate PPE.

Hand rigger vs crane operator skills

Common hand rigger skills

Rig, 71%
Slings, 29%

Common crane operator skills

Cranes, 25%
NCCCO, 7%
CDL, 7%
OSHA, 4%
Hoisting, 4%
Safety Rules, 3%

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Installation, Maintenance and Repair Industry
Hand Rigger
Hand Rigger vs Crane Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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