What Do General Maintenance and Repair Workers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

General Maintenance and Repair Workers perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of an establishment in repair. Duties may involve pipe fitting; boiler making; insulating; welding; machining; carpentry; repairing electrical or mechanical equipment; installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment; and repairing buildings, floors, or stairs. They also inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.

Other tasks include:

• Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools.
• Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
• Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
• Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
• Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories.
• Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools.

We asked General Maintenance and Repair Workers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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64% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 50% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, General Maintenance and Repair Workers perform general cleaning of buildings or properties. They repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.

A typical day for a General Maintenance and Repair Worker will also include:

• Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
• Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
• Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary.
• Test and treat water supply.
• Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories.

We asked some General Maintenance and Repair Workers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	54% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	38% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	92% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	11% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	34% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	63% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, General Maintenance and Repair Workers also record type and cost of maintenance or repair work. They may also paint or repair roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, plaster, drywall, or other parts of building structures.

On a weekly to monthly basis, General Maintenance and Repair Workers Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery. They might also Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.

In addition, they Test and treat water supply.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment.

To some General Maintenance and Repair Workers, it is also their responsibility to Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a General Maintenance and Repair Worker, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/installation-maintenance-and-repair/general-maintenance-and-repair-workers.htm

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