Lead Forklift Operator - 2nd Shift

At Collins, we’re committed to building a better world. As a family-owned company founded in 1855, that starts with responsible stewardship of our 370,000 acres of FSC®-certified forestlands. We operate in Chester, California; Lakeview, Oregon; and Kane, Pennsylvania, producing softwood and hardwood lumber. Our Chester location also includes the Builders Supply retail hardware and building materials store.

Position Summary:

The Forklift Operator Lead operates the forklift in a safe and productive manner while minimizing damage to the lumber product. This Lead position provides guidance and oversight to the 2nd shift sawmill crew, ensuring efficient workflow, adherence to safety protocols, and timely completion of duties. This role is responsible for training new operators, monitoring performance, coordinating shift activities, and communicating with supervisors to support production goals.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Prioritize safety by maintaining working knowledge of Lockout/Tagout procedures for all machine centers; ensuring crew members comply with safety standards at all times and correcting/reporting any observed safety hazards.
• Ensure the duties of the 2nd shift sawmill crew duties are completed accurately and efficiently; provide guidance, monitor performance, and escalate issues as needed.
• Ensure lumber is tagged accurately to maintain correct lumber tracking and inventory records.
• Maneuver units of like products through multiple phases of lumber production.
• Assist with all lumber transportation needs within departments as instructed.
  • Planer infeed driver (provide the planer with like product of rough dried lumber, daily collection of green tags, removal of dunnage).
  • Planer outfeed (remove finished units of lumber to be stored in the dried lumber yard with like products for shipping).
  • Shipping Assistance (aid with loading of railcars, freight, and transport trailers as per sale orders).
  • Kiln loading and unloading (prepare and push lumber into kiln using designed processes for optimal drying times).
  • Sawmill outfeed (serve as a back-up/relief driver for the sawmill outfeed ensuring green units are labeled and stored with like product in green yard).
• Maintain organization of green and dry units by species, size, dimension, and quality.
• Perform startup and shutdown equipment inspections.
• Clean and maintain working area and equipment.
• Perform additional duties as required by supervisor.
• On-site attendance is essential to effectively perform the listed duties and responsibilities.

Position Requirements: Must meet position requirements to be considered a candidate for this position.

• Must be eighteen (18) years of age or older.
• Have past heavy equipment skills and knowledge and the knowledge and ability to operate hand and power tools and measuring instruments preferred.
• Working knowledge of Lockout/Tagout procedures and commitment to enforcing safety compliance.
• Ability to lead and coordinate a team in a fast-paced production environment.
• Ability to follow all company, state and federal safety rules when performing required job duties.
• Ability to pass a pre-employment criminal history check and a pre-employment drug screening.

Environmental Conditions:

May be exposed to dust, noise, trip hazards, and variable temperatures and weather conditions. 

Required Personal Protective Equipment:

Individuals must be willing to wear the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times. Positions may require additional PPE at specific times. Examples of PPE which may be required include high visibility garments, hand protection, eye protection, hearing protection, a hard hat, foot protection, and a face shield.

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