Riggers
SOC Code: 49-9096.00
Installation, Maintenance & RepairRiggers are skilled tradespeople who specialize in safely moving, lifting, and positioning heavy machinery, structural steel, and equipment using cranes, hoists, cables, chains, and specialized rigging hardware, earning a median salary of approximately $62,060 per year. Their work is fundamental to construction, shipbuilding, manufacturing, entertainment production, and industrial maintenance—any context where extremely heavy or oversized loads must be moved with precision and without injury. A rigger's expertise lies not just in physical strength but in engineering judgment: calculating load weights, assessing sling angles, selecting the appropriate hardware, and coordinating multi-crane picks that leave no margin for error. A miscalculated rigging job can result in catastrophic equipment loss, structural failure, or worker fatalities, which is why rigger certification and safety compliance are taken extremely seriously. The combination of technical problem-solving and skilled physical work makes rigging one of the most respected and well-compensated blue-collar trades.
Salary Overview
Median
$62,060
25th Percentile
$47,940
75th Percentile
$79,340
90th Percentile
$100,480
Salary Distribution
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Growth Rate
+3.2%
New Openings
2,500
Outlook
As fast as average
Key Skills
Knowledge Areas
What They Do
- Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
- Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
- Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.
- Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
- Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use.
- Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools.
- Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets.
- Align, level, and anchor machinery.
Tools & Technology
★ = Hot Technology (in-demand)
Education Requirements
Typical entry-level education: High School Diploma
Related Careers
Top Career Pivot Targets
View all 2 →Careers with the highest skill compatibility from Riggers.
A Day in the Life
A typical day begins at the job site with a safety briefing covering the day's planned lifts, reviewing certified lift plans for any critical or complex picks, and inspecting all rigging hardware—slings, shackles, hooks, spreader bars—for wear, damage, or missing certification tags. Riggers communicate closely with crane operators via hand signals or radio to execute precise load movements, adjusting tag lines to control load swing and precisely position heavy components. Between crane picks, riggers may set up scaffold rigging systems, rig out major machinery for maintenance, or prepare materials for the next phase of the project. OSHA documentation, rigging hardware inspection logs, and lift plan sign-offs are completed throughout the day. End-of-shift duties include securing all equipment, coiling and storing wire rope and slings, and preparing next-day lift plans with supervisors.
Work Environment
Riggers work outdoors on construction sites, at industrial facilities, in shipyards, and on film and event production stages—environments that expose them to weather extremes, heights, and confined spaces. The physical demands are substantial: riggers regularly handle heavy hardware, work at elevation on scaffolding or in elevated lift equipment, and must maintain sharp situational awareness in environments with multiple simultaneous hazards. Hard hat, safety harness, steel-toed boots, and appropriate PPE are strictly required at all times on job sites, with OSHA inspections common at larger projects. Seasonal patterns affect construction rigging work in northern climates, where winter weather can temporarily slow outdoor activity. Union rigging positions typically offer strong benefit packages including health insurance, pension contributions, and paid time off negotiated through collective bargaining agreements.
Career Path & Advancement
Most riggers enter the trade as apprentices or helpers on construction sites, logging yards, or shipyards, learning foundational skills in knot tying, sling rigging geometry, and hardware inspection under supervision of journeymen riggers. Formal apprenticeship programs offered by unions such as the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction over four years. After completing an apprenticeship and earning journeyman status, riggers may pursue NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) rigger certification or the Certified Crane Rigger (CCR) credential to demonstrate professional competency. Foreman and lead rigger roles emerge with five to ten years of experience, with responsibilities expanding to lift plan development, crew supervision, and safety oversight. Rigging supervisors and project managers in large construction or industrial firms represent senior career levels, often overseeing multi-million-dollar equipment installations.
Specializations
Marine riggers work in shipbuilding and ship repair yards, rigging and positioning massive hull sections, propeller shafts, engine blocks, and deck equipment in the confined and challenging geometry of dry docks and waterfront facilities. Entertainment and theatrical riggers specialize in the overhead suspension systems used in concert halls, arenas, film sets, and live event venues, supporting lighting rigs, audio systems, staging elements, and special effects machinery. Industrial plant riggers focus on machinery installation and removal in manufacturing, power generation, and petrochemical facilities, executing precision millwright-adjacent lifts that require equipment to be placed within millimeter tolerances. Heavy civil construction riggers work on bridge and infrastructure projects, rigging precast concrete beams, steel girders, and prefabricated components that require coordinated multi-crane tandem lifting operations.
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- ✓Median salary of ~$62,060 with union positions and specialized work often commanding significantly higher rates
- ✓Union apprenticeships provide paid entry into the trade with structured skill development over four years
- ✓Highly skilled and respected trade with tangible, visible results—lifted bridge sections, installed turbines, positioned movie sets
- ✓Strong union presence in many rigging sectors provides excellent benefits including pension, health insurance, and job security
- ✓Growing demand in wind energy, data center construction, and entertainment provides stable employment outlook
- ✓Work is physically varied and intellectually engaging—every lift presents unique geometry and problem-solving requirements
- ✓Portable skills that translate across construction, manufacturing, marine, and entertainment industries worldwide
Challenges
- ✗Hazardous work environment—rigging failures can result in severe injury or fatality among workers and bystanders
- ✗Significant physical demands including heavy lifting, awkward positioning, and sustained work at heights contribute to injury risk over a career
- ✗Weather-dependent outdoor work creates seasonal income variability for non-union or contract riggers
- ✗Entry-level helper wages are modest during the apprenticeship phase before journeyman rates are achieved
- ✗Night shifts and weekend work are common during shutdowns, industrial turnarounds, and entertainment load-ins
- ✗Maintaining current OSHA, NCCER, and specialty certifications requires ongoing time and financial investment
- ✗High cognitive load from constantly assessing load weights, sling angles, and environmental hazards creates mental fatigue
Industry Insight
The construction, offshore energy, and entertainment production industries—all major employers of riggers—are actively investing in modernized lifting equipment, crane automation, and digital lift planning software that is reshaping how riggers plan and execute complex picks. BIM (Building Information Modeling) integration with crane and rigging planning software allows lift plans to be simulated in 3D before execution, reducing errors and improving site safety in large-scale projects. Wind energy installation, which requires precisely rigging and placing enormous turbine blades and nacelles, has created a specialized and well-compensated segment of the rigging trade with growing demand. The entertainment and live events industry, which relies heavily on riggers to build complex overhead fly systems, aerial performance rigs, and touring concert infrastructure, has rebounded strongly following pandemic-era venue closures. Labor shortages in the skilled trades continue to support above-average wages for qualified riggers, with union wage scales in high-cost metropolitan areas often substantially exceeding the national median.
How to Break Into This Career
The most structured entry pathway is through a union apprenticeship program with the Ironworkers union or Operating Engineers, which combines paid work with classroom training and leads to journeyman certification over four years. Non-union entry typically occurs by being hired as a rigging helper or laborer at a construction contractor, manufacturing plant, or shipyard and learning on the job under experienced rigger supervision. NCCER Basic Rigger and Signal Person certifications are industry-recognized entry-level credentials that can be earned through trade schools or NCCER-approved training providers and demonstrate foundational competency to employers. OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 construction safety cards are practically mandatory for any site-based rigging work and demonstrate commitment to safety culture. Physical fitness is a genuine prerequisite, as entry-level riggers are expected to handle heavy equipment, work at heights, and sustain physically demanding performance throughout full shifts.
Career Pivot Tips
Ironworkers, millwrights, and structural steel workers already possess closely related skills in working at heights, reading structural drawings, and understanding load-bearing systems, making lateral transitions into formal rigging roles highly feasible. Former military personnel with crane, heavy equipment operation, or cargo handling military occupational specialties have directly applicable experience that civilian rigging employers value and can often enter journeyman or near-journeyman level with appropriate credentialing. Construction laborers and general site workers who demonstrate strong safety habits and physical capability can pitch for rigging helper positions as a structured entry point with a clear apprenticeship upgrade path. Related trades that share significant technical overlap with rigging include crane operator, ironworker, millwright, and marine deck equipment operator. Professionals from theatrical or live events backgrounds—stagehands, production crew—who work around rigging systems can formalize their practical experience through ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certification Program) rigging certification.
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