94120 Sawmill machine operators

What this occupation covers

Sawmill machine operators operate, monitor and control automated lumbermill equipment to saw timber logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes. They are employed in sawmills and planing mills.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Operate front-end loaders and stationary deck cranes to feed logs into the sawmill
• Examine logs and rough lumber to determine size, condition, quality and other characteristics to decide best lumber cuts to carry out, or use automated equipment to convey logs through laser scanners which determine the most productive and profitable cutting patterns
• Operate automated lumbermill from control rooms or consoles to saw logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes
• Start conveyor system to move logs and lumber to and from saws
• Set up and adjust saw equipment and replace blades or bands using wrenches, gauges and other hand tools
• Operate equipment to sort and stack lumber by length and thickness, move stacks to storage areas or drying kilns, and feed lumber through planers
• Monitor movement of lumber and computer screens to ensure cuts are made according to specifications, and print production reports
• Clean and lubricate sawmill equipment.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 8 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 95103 Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing
• 94123 Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders
• 94129 Other wood processing machine operators
• 92014 Supervisors, forest products processing
• 94124 Woodworking machine operators

Excluded from this code

• Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing (See 95103 Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing)
• Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders (See 94123 Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders)
• Other wood processing machine operators (See 94129 Other wood processing machine operators)
• Supervisors, forest products processing (See 92014 Supervisors, forest products processing)
• Woodworking machine operators (See 94124 Woodworking machine operators)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

automatic edger operator - sawmill · block splitter - sawmill · board sawyer - sawmill · bolt sawyer - sawmill · bolterman/woman - sawmill · canter operator - sawmill · chip reclaim operator - sawmill · Chip-N-Saw operator - sawmill · circular saw operator · circular saw operator - sawmill · cut-off saw operator - sawmill · drag saw operator - sawmill · edger - sawmill · edgerman/woman · edgerman/woman - sawmill · gang sawyer - sawmill · head sawyer · head sawyer - sawmill · headrig operator - sawmill · head-saw operator - sawmill · high-speed stud operator - sawmill · jumbo operator - sawmill · log cut-off operator · log cut-off operator - sawmill

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• College courses in wood processing technology may be required.
• Several weeks of on-the-job training are usually provided.
• Head sawyers and planer operators usually require several years of experience in other sawmill machine operating positions in the same company.
• A certificate in industrial first aid may be required.