Occupation Profile

Grinding and Polishing Workers

(SOC Code : 51-9022)

in California

Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects. Include chippers, buffers, and finishers.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$13.67	$10.15	$12.60	$16.24

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	4,200	4,200	0	0.0	130

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Aerospace Product & Parts Manufacturing

281

12.9%

Machine Shops and Threaded Products

4,048

8.5%

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Mfg

1,479

8.1%

Household and Institutional Furniture

2,881

6.4%

Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing

6,864

6.0%

Architectural and Structural Metals

1,809

5.2%

Other Wood Product Manufacturing

1,131

3.2%

Other Fabricated Metal Product Mfg

932

1.9%

Medical Equipment and Supplies Mfg

3,367

1.2%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Grind, sand, clean, or polish objects or parts to correct defects or to prepare surfaces for further finishing, using hand tools and power tools.

Mark defects such as knotholes, cracks, and splits for repair.

Move controls to adjust, start, or stop equipment during grinding and polishing processes.

Select files or other abrasives, according to materials, sizes and shapes of workpieces, amount of stock to be removed, finishes specified, and steps in finishing processes.

Measure and mark equipment, objects, or parts to ensure grinding and polishing standards are met.

Verify quality of finished workpieces by inspecting them, comparing them to templates, measuring their dimensions, or testing them in working machinery.

Trim, scrape, or deburr objects or parts, using chisels, scrapers, and other hand tools and equipment.

Record product and processing data on specified forms.

Remove completed workpieces from equipment or work tables, using hand tools, and place workpieces in containers.

Load and adjust workpieces onto equipment or work tables, using hand tools.

More Tasks for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Top Skills used in this Job

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Equipment Selection - Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

More Skills for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Data for Tasks not available.

More Abilities for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

More Interests for Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand