72500 – Crane operators

Lead statement

Crane operators operate cranes or draglines to lift, move, position or place machinery, equipment and other large objects at construction or industrial sites, ports, railway yards, surface mines and other similar locations. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Main duties

• Operate mobile and tower cranes to lift, move, position or place equipment and materials
• Perform pre-operational inspection, and calculate crane capacities and weight to prepare for rigging and hoisting
• Operate pile driving cranes to drive pilings into earth to provide support for buildings and other structures
• Operate cranes equipped with dredging attachments to dredge waterways and other areas
• Operate gantry cranes to load and unload ship cargo at port side
• Operate locomotive cranes to move objects and materials at railway yards
• Operate bridge or overhead cranes to lift, move and place plant machinery and materials
• Operate offshore oil rig cranes to unload and reload supply vessels
• Operate cranes mounted on boats or barges to lift, move and place equipment and materials
• Operate dragline cranes to expose coal seams and ore deposits at open pit mines
• May assemble tower cranes on site
• Perform routine maintenance work such as cleaning and lubricating cranes.

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a one- to three-year apprenticeship program orindustry courses in crane operating are usually required.
• Mobile crane operator trade certification, for specified types of cranes, is compulsory in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the Northwest Territories.
• Tower crane operator trade certification is compulsory in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and available, but voluntary, in Prince Edward Island.
• Hoist operator trade certification, for specified types of cranes, is compulsory in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia and is available, but voluntary, in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Mobile crane operators may require a provincial licence to drive mobile cranes on public roads.
• Internal company certification as a crane operator may be required by some employers.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified mobile crane and tower crane operators upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.

Example job titles

power crane operator · tractor crane operator · crane operator apprentice · dragline crane operator · crane operator · skip operator · construction crane operator · pile driving crane operator · drilling rig crane operator · apprentice mobile crane operator · mobile crane apprentice operator · hot metal crane operator · floating crane operator · truck crane operator · electric monorail crane operator · electric dragline operator · railway car puller - crane · electric gantry crane operator · overhead crane operator · walking bridge crane operator · bridge crane operator · electric crane operator · tower crane operator · rail crane operator · locomotive craneman/woman · locomotive crane operator · monorail crane operator · jib crane operator · boom crane operator · wrecking crane operator · demolition crane operator · boat crane operator · ship crane operator · cantilever crane operator · crawler crane operator · hoist operator (except underground mining) · boom truck crane operator · climbing crane operator · ladle crane operator · mobile crane operator

Wages (per hour)

Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.