Railroad Fireman job description

This post includes 3 parts: duties list, job qualification and job description writing tips for Railroad Fireman in details. A complete job description concludes Railroad Fireman key duties/responsibilities, Railroad Fireman job qualifications (knowledge, education, skills, abilities, experience…KSA model) and other ones such as daily tasks, key activities, key/core competencies, job functions/purpose…

I. List of Railroad Fireman duties:

1. Provide locomotives with all necessary materials (drinking water, sand, spare parts, etc.).
2. Scrape engine car body and spray engine parts with solvents to remove grease, oil, and/or sludge.
3. Inspect materials, equipment, and machinery for any defects or unsafe conditions.
4. Clean assigned areas (sweep floors, empty trash, clean parts, and remove residue off of floors).
5. Operate locomotives between various shop locations, service tracks, and switching areas.
6. Maintain balance and careful footing on various surfaces working around surrounding equipment and materials.
7. Line switches and operate derails to assist hostlers.
8. Lift and carry 40 pounds (frequently) and up to 86 pounds (rarely-often with assistance); push/pull at a minimum of 50 pounds.
9. Perform air brake tests.
10. Communicate effectively with team members via hand radio and hand signals on service track.
11. Accurately transcribe numbers and English words onto forms.
12. Detect and interpret visual color signals and displays at near and far distances, use depth perception to judge speed and distance of locomotives being moved on service area, and hearing sufficient to detect warning signals.
13. Safely and effectively operate shop machines and tools such as high-pressure steam cleaning equipment, locomotive cranes, and sand cranes.

II. List of Railroad Fireman qualifications

1. Must be a minimum of 18 years of age
2. Computer literate and have basic keyboarding skills
3. Applicants receiving a conditional job offer must pass a color vision assessment to ensure that they are able to perform the essential functions of the job by adequately discerning different colors.
4. Applicants must have the ability to effectively and accurately understand, interpret, reference, evaluate, organize, and record non-technical and technical information.
5. Applicants must be able and willing to understand and apply safety rules, practice safe work habits, identify safety risks, and avoid potentially risky behaviors and situations.
6. Applicants must have the ability to perform basic arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and conversion of fractions into decimals and decimals into fractions to solve practical problems. In addition, applicants must be able to extract relevant information from tables, charts, graphs, and text.
7. Applicants must have the ability to understand and apply basic mechanical principles to solve mechanical problems.
8. Applicants must have the ability to communicate and work well both independently and with others.
9. Applicants must be open to change, take initiative, make meaningful contributions, and take responsibility for the quality and timely completion of one''s tasks.
10. Agree to all listed job requirements, e.g. pay, shift work, outdoor work, confined spaces, etc.
11. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States
12. Develop and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers, supervisors and/or customers and effectively handle conflict situations
13. Ability to speak English in a clear, concise manner in order to communicate with coworker(s) and supervisor(s)
14. Authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship
15. Applicants must qualify on a Physical Ability Test (PAT) prior to employment. Click here for a description of thePhysical Abilities Test
16. Applicants with basic hand and power tool training or experience.
17. Mechanical, high-voltage electricity, or electronics experience or education.

III. Tips to write job description

1. Too-long job description:

Looking at a too-long job description can frighten the candidates off and drive the away. A job description, no matter how important the job is, should not be included in more than 3 pages. If one focuses on too many things at a time, he shall definitely lose focus on the main items and get overwhelmed by the remaining; So, keep it concisely.

2. Too-short job description:

While too-long can be a problem, too-short is more a problem. It will ruin the meaning of the job description. A too-short one means it lacks necessary details and therefore, the candidate will not be able to understand while reading it.

3. Listing unnecessary functions or job duties:

Just classifying these into the “others” category will save you a lot of effort and space. On the other hand, the job description will become more dilute and easy to be neglected.

4. Key functions

Not listing key functions as required for the job can be a fatal mistake to a job description.

5. Grammar and spelling

Poor grammar and having spelling errors can ruin the job description, too. Never think that as you are the employer, you may have the right to make grammar or spelling errors while requires other not to. A job description with such errors is easily to be mistaken as a fake or ghost ads; as a result, the candidate will turn away from it.

6. Not specific enough:

Be specific and concise; if you don’t address the specific, then what the job description is for. It is for the candidate to understand just exactly what he needs to do or needs to have. Lacking details can confuse the candidates very well.

7. Not having the job description reviewed by others:

This is also a common mistake. One may be subject to bias, but more than one, especially with the help of those external advisor, the job description can be more perfect.

8. Using buzzwords or abbreviations:

In fact, it is not necessary at all to use such in a job description.

9. Using slang or legal words:

Just use common wording to communicate with others and don’t do anything extraordinarily.

10. Not updating the job description:

The same job may require different duties and responsibilities in different times, so, you cannot use the same job description for 2 different times.