HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

Summary and Objectives:

Winston Plywood and Veneer, LLC (also referred to as “Winston”, “the mill”, or “the Company”) is an operating company of New Wood Resources LLC, an Atlas Holdings company. Winston is one of the most modern and efficient mills in North America. This company is committed to providing a workplace that promotes service, respect, and excellence. In addition, Winston employees must consider team member safety, customers, the community, and the company before any decision making. 

As a Heavy Equipment Operator, the employee is responsible for the care and operation of the yard equipment such as forklifts and loaders and for maintaining a safe work environment. Heavy Equipment Operators will operate straight or articulated rubber-tired tractor-type vehicles equipped with front-mounted hydraulically powered bucket or scoop. 

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the required functions. 

• Clean and maintain machinery, equipment, and work areas to ensure proper functioning and safe working conditions
• Understand all company procedures, policies, and practices that is relevant to job position
• Must comply with all safety and OSHA regulations, including lock-out/tag-out procedures within the department
• Accurately and legibly complete operator checklist prior to operation of any machine
• Efficiently and safely operates all company equipment to maintain the flow of production and minimize downtime
• Perform routine maintenance on equipment, such as lubricating, fueling, and cleaning
• Load and unload materials in a safe and efficient manner using heavy machinery
• Stage material on the infeed deck or storage area
• Unload logs from sorted bins into vault or corresponding inventory location
• Assist in loading debark infeed 
• Lift and transport logs to and from storage or processing areas to lathe infeed
• Ability to operate digital camera or other basic documentation and tracking devices
• Monitor product movement to and from the destination, coordinate activities via radio with other team members to ensure constant product flow
• Ensure that logs over 27 inches in diameter are not placed on the log deck when loading
•  Maintain and keep vats rotated
• Keep cores emptied from core pockets
• Keep any log or partial log separated from bark on yard
• Perform cleanup in depth when not in operation
• Assist in keeping log processor pockets emptied
• Exhibit a sense of urgency when dealing with line stops or abnormal plant conditions
• Communicate with Supervisor on departmental issues
• Employee must also perform any duty deemed necessary by management

Heavy Equipment Operators who can perform these duties safely and effectively allows for the mill to run smoothly. It is imperative that each employee does his or her job to the utmost of their ability.

Supervisory Responsibility (if applicable)

N/A

Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Able to use hands and arms to grasp, push, pull, reach, or lift at, to the side of, or above shoulder level
• Able to work safely around moving mechanical equipment and nip points 
• Able to follow all safety procedures and work at a fast pace
• Maintain a high level of cleanliness in work areas
• Maintain adherence to all Company policies and safety standards
• Must be able to work long hours sitting in one position 
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds frequently
• Must be able to push and pull approximately 25 to 50 pounds frequently
• Able to monitor and review information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems
• Able to inspect equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects
• Able to perform 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 of materials
• Frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles and vibrations in which certain PPE is required
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, color vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• Capable of working in hot, cold, wet and/or humid environments.
• Able to work beyond or less than normally scheduled work hours.
• Subject to mandatory testing for drugs and/or alcohol on a random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up basis.
• Responsible for wearing the required PPE for each job tasks as specified.
• Responsible for conducting a pre-shift inspection on equipment, when in operation, prior to the start of the shift

Education and Experience