Data & Research
 
* ELMI Occupation Profile - Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand *
 
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
(O*NET 51-9022.00, SOC 51-9022)
What they do
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Includes chippers, buffers, and finishers.
 
Also called:
Buffer, Casting Finisher, Chipper, Finisher, Grinder, Jewelry Polisher, Knife Grinder, Metal Finisher, Polisher, Stand Grinder
 
 
Wages
Vermont - 2023
Percentile1HourlyYearly
10% $ 17.06   $35,480  
25% $ 17.52   $36,440  
Median $ 17.52   $36,440  
75% $ 24.81   $51,600  
90% $ 32.23   $67,050  
 
Average $ 21.06   $43,810  
1 What are Percentile Wages?
More at CareerOneStop
 
Industries of Employment
United States - 2020
IndustryPercent of total
  • Administrative and support services
30%
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing
16%
  • Transportation equipment manufacturing
10%
  • Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
7%
  • Primary metal manufacturing
7%
More at BLS
 
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
  • Production and Processing
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Mechanical
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
More at O*NET
 
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
  • Quality Control Analysis
    Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Operations Monitoring
    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Equipment Maintenance
    Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
  • Operation and Control
    Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Repairing
    Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
More at O*NET
 
Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments:
  • Realistic
    Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
  • Conventional
    Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler
 
Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Independence
    Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  • Stress Tolerance
    Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
More at O*NET
 
Tasks
On the job, you would:
  • Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.
  • Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.
  • Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.
  • Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.
  • Mark defects, such as knotholes, cracks, and splits, for repair.
More at O*NET
 
Related Occupations
More at O*NET
 
 
Projected Employment
Projected employment not available for Vermont
but may be for the nation and other states at
CareerOneStop
 
Education and Experience:
  • Typical education needed for entry
    No formal educational credential
  • Work experience in a related occupation
    None
  • Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
    Moderate-term on-the-job training
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications
 
Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
 
  • Physical activity is Extremely Important
  • Level of activity is Extremely High
Importance
Low   High
Level
Compare Occupations at O*NET
 
Job Zone
Some Preparation Needed
  • Specific Vocational Preparation Range
    (4.0 to < 6.0) - A typical worker will require over 3 months up to and including 1 year of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP
 
Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have?
Education level Percent of
U.S. Workers
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate
  0%
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate
  0%
Bachelor's degree   0%
Associate's degree   0%
Certificate or some college,
no degree
  36%
High school diploma
or equivalent
  37%
Less than high school diploma   27%
More at O*NET
 
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Control Precision
    The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Finger Dexterity
    The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Near Vision
    The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Manual Dexterity
    The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
More at O*NET
 
Work Activities
In general, what you might do:
  • Performing General Physical Activities
    Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Handling and Moving Objects
    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes
    Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Thinking Creatively
    Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
More at O*NET
 
Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day:
  • Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards.
  • Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
  • Clean workpieces or finished products.
  • Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products.
  • Smooth metal surfaces or edges.
More at O*NET
 
Other Resources
  • CareerOneStop
    resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
  • O*NET Online
    nation's primary source of occupational information
 
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This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

BLS

This page includes information produced in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and State Occupational Projections programs.

 
 
 
 
Vermont.gov State of Vermont Department of Labor