What does a Maintenance Worker do?
Maintenance workers are employees assigned to oversee the equipment, furniture, and fixtures in the office. They ensure that these items work correctly by doing routine check-ups, identifying any problems, anticipating challenges, sourcing for spare parts, and repairing problems. They also ensure that all the equipment, furniture, and fixtures are clean and always ready for use. They should be familiar with all the official instructions and procedures to ensure that they can adequately care for these items. They may also handle the installation of any new equipment.
Maintenance worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real maintenance worker resumes:
- Clean windows or mirrors, using cleaners, and squeegees.
- Promote and enforce safety procedures; render first aid and CPR.
- Conduct electrical repairs to include replacing outlets, light switches, and fixture replacements.
- Identify safety hazards; respond to accidents and emergencies and administers first aid and CPR.
- Mow, edge, trim and rake fields; operate riding mowers, light duty vehicles, blowers, edger.
- Respond to service requests including custodial work, preventative maintenance and assessment of roofing, HVAC, furnace and electrical systems.
- Operate lawn and grounds equipment including power mowers, snow blowers, bucket loaders, and various hand and power tools.
- Work as a general home maintenance improvement including plumbing, carpentry, roofing and general maintenance
- Repair electrical equipment and control circuits; replace faulty electrical switches; repair refrigeration equipment.
- Hoist tar and roofing materials onto roofs.
- Remove old roofing materials in an efficient manner.
- Monitor and maintain heating, ventilation and cooling systems.
- Clean rooms and lobby, mow grass, shovele snow, paint walls, restroom stocking and cleaning, set up events
- Perform duties such as cutting and trimming grass, maintenance of plants, and disposal of garbage on a weekly basis.
- Pull trash, turn on grills, fryers, and ovens for preparation.
Maintenance worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Maintenance Workers are proficient in Plumbing, GRASS, and General Maintenance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.
We break down the percentage of Maintenance Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Plumbing, 10%
Provided general janitorial services, removed trash, and maintaining building systems including plumbing and electrical.
- GRASS, 8%
Performed duties such as cutting and trimming grass, maintenance of plants, and disposal of garbage on a weekly basis.
- General Maintenance, 7%
General maintenance in unoccupied apartment complexes, interior painting, prepared units to sell, residential interior and exterior painting
- Hand Tools, 5%
Utilized hand tools - shovels, rakes, pruning shares, saw, hedge clippers and axes to provide lawn maintenance.
- Building Maintenance, 5%
Monitored and repaired building maintenance equipment on a regular basis, performed dismantling and assembly on building furniture as requested.
- Mowing, 4%
Operate computerized energy management; Operates mowing and snow removal equipment.
Common skills that a maintenance worker uses to do their job include "plumbing," "grass," and "general maintenance." You can find details on the most important maintenance worker responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a maintenance worker to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what maintenance workers do because "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis." Additionally, a maintenance worker resume shows how maintenance workers use customer-service skills: "performed various maintenance and guest service tasks at local boat and swim club. "
Dexterity. Many maintenance worker duties rely on dexterity. "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination.," so a maintenance worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways maintenance worker responsibilities rely on dexterity: "performed various maintenance duties such as landscaping, heavy lifting/moving, pool maintenance and other outdoor work. "
Troubleshooting skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of maintenance workers is troubleshooting skills. This skill is critical to many everyday maintenance worker duties, as "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "general maintenance including electrical, plumbing, painting, troubleshooting, preventative maintenance and building maintenance"
The three companies that hire the most maintenance workers are:
- Aramark151 maintenance workers jobs
- Camden65 maintenance workers jobs
- Rose Hills Mortuary50 maintenance workers jobs
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Compare different maintenance workers
Maintenance worker vs. Groundskeeping maintenance
A Groundskeeping Maintenance Worker performs several skilled and semi-skilled tasks in grounds keeping and building trade areas. They maintain turf places, including weed control and Integrated Pest Management. They also cut and install window glass. These professionals replace broken pipes, replace gaskets, replace washers, replace faucets, flush sewer lines, and clean clogged drains. A Groundskeepipng Maintenance Worker must know how to operate hand equipment and power tools and identify and repair minor roof leaks.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a maintenance worker are more likely to require skills like "general maintenance," "hand tools," "osha," and "safety procedures." On the other hand, a job as a groundskeeping maintenance requires skills like "pet," "pest control," "diggers," and "athletic fields." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Groundskeeping maintenances really shine in the real estate industry with an average salary of $32,000. Comparatively, maintenance workers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $37,554.groundskeeping maintenances tend to reach similar levels of education than maintenance workers. In fact, groundskeeping maintenances are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Maintenance worker vs. Electrical maintenance technician
An electrical maintenance technician is primarily in charge of installing and repairing electrical systems. Their responsibilities often revolve around liaising with clients to identify their needs, examining electrical damages or defects on houses or establishments, troubleshooting, and performing fixes and replacements as needed. Aside from providing technical support, an electrical maintenance technician may also train junior technicians and monitor their progress. Furthermore, in a company setting, one must conduct regular maintenance checks on electrical systems to ensure a safe and efficient work environment.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real maintenance worker resumes. While maintenance worker responsibilities can utilize skills like "grass," "mowing," "hvac," and "customer service," electrical maintenance technicians use skills like "ac dc," "preventive maintenance," "control systems," and "switches."
On average, electrical maintenance technicians earn a higher salary than maintenance workers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, electrical maintenance technicians earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $61,573. Whereas maintenance workers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $37,554.electrical maintenance technicians earn similar levels of education than maintenance workers in general. They're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Maintenance worker vs. Building maintenance technician
A building maintenance technician is an individual who takes responsibility for keeping the repair tools and other supplies in good condition. Building maintenance technicians make sure that a facility operates pretty well. The technicians need to familiarize the security of the buildings. They maintain buildings through repairs and safety checks. It is their job to care for industrial and commercial facilities and determine maintenance needs. Some of them are in charge of the landscape and perform primary janitorial work.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a maintenance worker is likely to be skilled in "general maintenance," "safety procedures," "flower beds," and "asphalt," while a typical building maintenance technician is skilled in "ladders," "dexterity," "equipment maintenance," and "roofing."
Building maintenance technicians earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $42,815. Comparatively, maintenance workers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $37,554.When it comes to education, building maintenance technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to maintenance workers. In fact, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Maintenance worker vs. Facility maintenance technician
A facility maintenance technician is responsible for inspecting the safety and security of the facilities, including the operational tools, equipment, and machinery, to avoid potential hazards in the production area and maintain timely project deliverables. Facility maintenance technicians perform a regular check on the equipment, identifying glitches and inconsistencies, and repairing defective components to avoid delays in operation. They also install and assemble new machines, requiring them to have comprehensive knowledge of reading schematics and blueprints. A facility maintenance technician records incident reports and suggests immediate safety actions to management.
Types of maintenance worker
Updated January 8, 2025
