Federal Wage System Job Grading Standard for Materials Handling, 6907

Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

Federal Wage System Job Grading Standard

For Materials Handling, 6907

Table of Contents

WORK COVERED........................................................................................................................................2

WORK NOT COVERED................................................................................................................................2

TITLES..........................................................................................................................................................3

GRADE LEVELS ..........................................................................................................................................3

NOTE TO USERS.........................................................................................................................................3

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 4.............................................................................................................3

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 5.............................................................................................................5

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 6.............................................................................................................6

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

WORK COVERED

This standard covers nonsupervisory work involved in receiving, storing, and assembling for

issue, shipment, and distribution, a wide variety of bin and bulk supplies, materials, equipment,

and commodities using mechanized, automated, and manual material moving equipment,

devices, and systems. The work requires general knowledge of the methods used in processing,

handling, and storing of materials and equipment through a supply facility; the ability to log

receipt, storage, and shipment data; and the ability to use manual or mechanized equipment to

move, stack, bin, and position materials and equipment. The work also requires the ability to

organize, arrange, and remove stock in storage areas in accordance with established procedures

to prevent damage, deterioration, and loss. Most work requires the incidental or regular use of

fork lifts and motor vehicles.

WORK NOT COVERED

This standard does not cover work that primarily involves:

- Assembling items from backup areas and stacking and arranging them on shelves, bins, and

other locations in commissary, clothing issue, and other personal service operations. (See

Job Grading Standard for Store Working, 6914.)

- Establishing identity such as stock number, model, and serial number of various items

together with determining whether the items are serviceable, repairable, or too costly to

repair. (See

Job Grading Standard for Materials Examining and Identifying, 6912.)

- Performing clerical or technical support work concerned with receiving, handling, storing,

maintaining while in storage, issuing, or physically controlling items within a distribution

system. (See

Supply Clerical and Technician Series, GS-2005.)

- Performing technical work such as advising on distribution facilities, storage space,

manpower, material handling equipment, and related operating requirements; planning,

evaluating, and selecting appropriate sites and facilities to store material; or planning,

analyzing, evaluating, or advising on distribution and storage policies, methods, and

procedures. (See

Distribution Facilities and Storage Management Series, GS-2030.)

- Loading, placing, securing, and unloading air cargo in an air terminal and on aircraft

including responsibility for maintaining proper weight and balance, positioning cargo, and

determining cargo compatibility. (See

Aircraft Freight Loading Series, 6968.)

- Operating electric, diesel, or gasoline powered fork lift vehicles as primary duty to move,

stack, unstack, load and unload materials in and around warehouses, storage areas, loading

docks, and on and off vehicles, rail cars, etc. (See

Job Grading Standard for Fork Lift

Operating, 5704.)

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

- Readying and handling for storage, transfer, or shipment explosive or toxic munitions such

as poison gases, radioactive materials, solid propellant ballistic missiles requiring strictly

controlled temperatures, humidity, shock and vibrations protection and requiring knowledge

of explosive materials, mechanisms, and related handling characteristics. (See

Missile/Toxic

Materials Handling Series, 6511.)

TITLES

Jobs covered by this standard are to be titled Materials Handler.

GRADE LEVELS

This Standard describes three levels of nonsupervisory materials handler work, grades 4, 5, and

6. Grade 5 represents the full performance level or work. This Standard does not describe all

possible grade levels for this occupation. If jobs differ substantially from the skill, knowledge,

and other work requirement described in the grade levels of the standard, they may be graded

above or below these grades based on the application of sound job grading methods.

NOTE TO USERS

Since jobs involving warehouse work are often mixed jobs, such work should be graded in

accordance with OPM=S mixed job policy. Therefore, if the highest level of work represents a

single occupation (e.g., Fork Lift Operating, 5704), typically the job should be titled and graded

according to the job grading standard that represents the highest skill and qualification

requirements when such work is performed as a regular and recurring part of the job, even if the

duties are not performed for a majority of the time. (See

Digest Vol. 15.) (Also, see

Digest Vol 13 for intended use of Laundry Worker, 7304, versus Materials Handler, 6907,

series.)

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 4

General: Grade 4 materials handlers follow detailed procedures or instructions to perform

warehouse work which involves receiving, storing, and shipping a variety of bin and bulk

supplies, material, equipment, and commodities. The work is usually repetitive and involves

unloading, stacking, binning, rotating, and marking stock in accordance with standardized

operating instructions. They check shipping documents to verify incoming and outgoing

shipments and may use automated material identification equipment such as bar code wands,

computer terminals, and laser scanners tied into a central computer to select storage locations of

items being shipped or received. Where assignments differ from standardized tasks, workers at

this level receive guidance from a higher level worker or supervisor. Grade 4 materials handlers

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Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

use common handtools such as hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers as well as handtrucks,

handlifts, pallet jacks, dollies, and electric jack lifts. They may also use automated stock selector

equipment such as mechanized platform lifts, automated mini-stackers, and guided material

movement vehicles. In some work situations, material handlers at this level operate warehouse

tractors, fork lifts, tugs, and general purpose vehicles under close supervision or in

developmental capacity.

Skill and Knowledge: Materials handlers at the grade 4 level have knowledge of the general

warehouse layout, item identification codes, basic warehouse procedures, and the storage areas

in order to be able to place or pull stock and materials in accordance with standard procedures.

They are able to stock, move, arrange, and rotate warehouse items in accordance with operating

instructions or under guidance of a higher level employee. They are able to complete

appropriate forms relating to stock description, quantity, unit of issue, and the labeling

requirements for incoming and outgoing materials, equipment and commodities. They use

computer terminal equipment to determine stock locations and make selections by quantity and

stock numbers. Grade 4 materials handlers are skilled in the use of manual dollies, electric

jacks, and handtools used in warehouse tasks such as hammers, pliers, strapping and stretch

wrapping tools and equipment, tape fasteners, metal band sheers and related equipment. They

are able to use wire guided aisle platform lifts in automated facilities to reach high level

warehouse shelves to pick up or deliver stock items from the storage areas. They identify

obvious damage to equipment and materials through visual inspections.

Responsibility: At the grade 4 level, materials handlers work under the guidance of a

supervisor or higher graded worker who provides general instructions on repetitive assignments

and specific guidance including written instructions on new operations or procedures, They

generally perform repetitive assignments such as stocking, rotating, and marking stock items

which are usually covered by detailed procedures or standardized instructions. When work is in

mechanized or automated warehouse areas with electro-mechanical platform (aisle) lifts, grade 4

materials handlers are responsible for the safe operation of the lifts used in narrow and confined

aisles or corridors and for observing all safety procedures for various automated systems and

equipment such as conveyors and mechanized carrousels. Work is periodically spot checked by

a supervisor or higher graded employee to insure adherence to procedures and objectives.

Physical Effort: Grade 4 materials handlers are often required to stand on hard surfaces for

extended periods of time, and to bend, stoop, and work in tiring and sometimes uncomfortable

positions. They may lift and carry items that weigh up to 8 kilograms (40 pounds). The heavier

items are moved with weight handling equipment or with assistance from other workers.

Working Conditions: At the grade 4 level, work is done inside or outside in areas that may be

hot, damp, cold, drafty, or poorly lighted. Materials handlers are regularly exposed to the

possibility of cuts, scrapers, bruises, abrasions, falls, and injury from falling stock or mechanized

work areas. When working in hazardous materials areas, they may be subject to exposure from

radiation, toxins, explosive hazards, or chemical fumes. Work may require wearing protective

clothing such as hardhats, steel toed shoes, rubber gloves, masks, and rubber aprons.

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Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 5

General: Unlike grade 4 materials handlers, grade 5 materials handlers usually work

independently in a wide range of warehousing activities, including receiving, storing, selecting,

and shipping general or specialized bulk and bin materials and equipment. Using a broad

general knowledge or warehouse plans and procedures, grade 5 materials handlers are able to

independently load and unload materials check, assemble, and process documents, and route

materials and equipment to correct locations or storage areas. They also locate, access, load and

move material for shipment and verify or prepare documents either manually or by using

automated equipment such as computer terminals and bar code wands to read, store, track, and

prepare materials documentation.

Grade 5 materials handlers prepare shipping and inventory documents with required data for

manual or automated inventory systems. In some work situations, they load and unload

shipments from trucks, rail cars, and other material conveyances using fork lifts, manual and

mechanized pallet jacks, side loaders, stacker cranes, and automated guided vehicles in

mechanized warehouses. When operating automated storage vehicles they may use remote

terminals and keyboards to receive and transmit "pick and stow" data into a central computer.

They may operate warehouse tractors, fork lifts, tugs and trucks, and other general purpose

vehicles and perform routine operator maintenance. Materials handlers at the grade 5 level may

work in hazardous materials storage areas requiring them to learn and follow specialized

handling and storage procedures as required by regulatory and safety requirements.

Skill and Knowledge :In contrast to grade 4 materials handlers who perform routine and

repetitive tasks, grade 5 materials handlers are assigned a wide variety and range of duties

requiring more specialized knowledge of warehouse plan, methods, procedures, and techniques

of material handling. They are able to operate mechanized equipment including utility vehicles,

standard size fork lifts, mobile stock selectors, and electromechanical automated equipment,

such as high rise automated storage and retrieval vehicles, which use remote computer terminals

to receive and transmit storage, inventory, and requisition data in automated warehouses. In

both automated and non-automated warehouses they are able to process and independently

complete shipping and receiving documents to insure correctness of quantities, identification

criteria, and labeling. They may use automated equipment such as optical readers and scanners

(bar code wands) and computer keyboards to develop computerized inventory data, access

materials, and fill item requisitions. They are skilled in stacking, moving, and arranging items

on pallets and must consider height, weight, and special handling requirements. They are able to

use pallet measuring gauges and automated devices to insure that proper height, weight, and

other load and storage requirements are met and damage in storage or in transit is prevented.

Grade 5 materials handlers in mechanized warehouses have a good working knowledge of the

manned and unmanned electromechanical devices and systems used such as multipack induction

conveyors and robotic pallet manipulators. When regularly working with or assigned to the

specialized handling of hazardous materials, grade 5 materials handlers must have knowledge

and skills required for the safe handling, storage and movement of materials handled.

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Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

This is usually acquired through formal training courses as well as on-the-job training to insure

that all regulatory and safety requirements are met.

Responsibility: At the grade 5 level materials handlers are responsible for document

processing and verification of the quantity and condition of materials and equipment handled.

Unlike material handlers at the grade 4 level who work on repetitive tasks or under close

supervision, grade 5 material handlers receive general instructions from a supervisor.

Assignments are usually completed without guidance on methods, procedures, or techniques, and

work is reviewed for compliance with general guidelines and results achieved. Grade 5

materials handlers follow established methods and procedures, and work is spot-checked upon

completion for accuracy, adherence to procedural requirements, thoroughness, and results.

Grade 5 materials handlers may be responsible for operating mechanized and electromechanical

systems such as fork lift trucks, tugs, manned storage and retrieval vehicles, and highrise

platform lifts which may operate in narrow and constricted warehouses aisles. They observe all

safety procedures required when working near mechanized towveyers, powered conveyor

systems, and other mechanized equipment.

Grade 5 materials handlers, whether using manual or computerized equipment, are responsible

for the processing of documents or data handled. They work independently using computer

terminals, keyboards, and optical scanners to develop coding data or with traditional printed

shipping and receiving documents, making written entries and verifying data in printed formats.

Physical Effort: Physical effort at this grade is the same as that described at grade 4.

Working Conditions: Working conditions at this grade are the same as those described at

grade 4.

MATERIALS HANDLER, GRADE 6

General: Unlike grade 5 level materials handlers, who at one time or another may perform a

full range of warehousing duties, materials handlers at the grade 6 level usually handle or

oversee one or more product lines, a segment of a large warehouse, or serve as the senior

employee in a smaller warehouse or supply facility. They may assist the supervisor in

developing plans for storage and arrangement of stock in accordance with agency regulations

which determine the configuration setup, movement, rearrangement and traffic flow. Grade 6

materials handlers in larger warehouse facilities typically have responsibility for a storage and

space utilization in accordance with agency regulations for a specific commodity or equipment

group such as general supplies, construction materials, medical supplies, high value items, or

electronic systems, and usually work on their own initiative to consolidate materials, and provide

maximum space utilization and protection of materials. In hazardous materials storage areas,

they insure the safe receipt, storage and movement of hazardous and toxic materials and

substances such as certain types of ammunition, explosives, chemicals, or radioactive materials

in accordance with facility and regulatory requirements. In smaller warehouse facilities, grade 6

materials handlers may serve as the senior nonsupervisory worker of the facility, laying out

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Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

storage space, establishing item locations, determining organization and arrangement of stock,

and identifying high and low usage items according to agency regulations and procedures.

Typically, this encompasses a full spectrum of warehouse functions. Grade 6 materials handlers

may serve as a senior member of a warehouse project team of materials handlers involved in a

special project such as warehouse conversion from manual to automated systems, relocating a

major commodity or equipment group, or setting up a new commodity group area. In addition to

the equipment operating functions performed at the grade 5 level, grade 6 materials handlers may

operate large warehouse perimeter vehicles such as cargo trucks, stake trucks, and jumbo tugs.

They may also functionally coordinate incoming and outgoing shipments and placement of

materials with docking area and scheduling personnel to facilitate movement of materials in

accordance with priorities, scheduling requirements, and space allocations.

Skill and Knowledge: Unlike grade 5 materials handlers who generally work under

established guidelines and instructions requiring general knowledge of warehouse functions,

grade 6 materials handlers must have an in-depth knowledge of the overall warehousing plan,

documentation requirements, and accepted warehousing methods, procedures, and techniques.

As senior workers, they often work independently and may be assigned functional

responsibilities for a major commodity segment or equipment group in a larger warehouse, or

may serve as the primary materials handler in a small warehouse such as a base or post supply

facility. They are able to lay out storage space and establish item and material locations in

accordance with agency regulations. Grade 6 materials handlers are able to prepare inventory

and production reports, screen and identify shipping and receiving documents for discrepancies,

and direct shipments to shipping or storage areas. They have a thorough knowledge of the

physical distribution functions of a warehouse such as material receiving, storage, issuing, and

preservation. Grade 6 materials handlers determine sequences for loading materials and

organize incoming shipments for maximum space utilization, safety considerations, and damage

protection. They are skilled in the use of onsite automated equipment and systems. They are

able to operate the larger material moving equipment and vehicles inside the warehouse and fork

lifts and related vehicles in outside holding areas on unpaved, unimproved, or difficult terrain.

Grade 6 materials handlers who work in hazardous materials areas have knowledge of

specialized hazardous handling, storing, and safety procedures gained through formal course

study and on-the-job training to insure adherence to governing regulatory procedures and

policies. They are able independently to place, store, maintain, and oversee certain types of

hazardous materials such as toxic chemicals, pesticides, flammables, and some explosives,

ammunition, and radioactive materials in accordance with regulatory and other safety

requirements.

Responsibility: Materials handlers at the grade 6 level are generally responsible for

performing a full range of warehouse functions in either a major segment of a large warehouse or

as the principal materials handler in a small warehouse. Their responsibilities include receiving,

locating, storing, shipping, and re-warehousing materials, commodities, or equipment in

accordance with established procedures and operating requirements. Unlike the grade 5

materials handlers, they generally work with a high degree of independence in determining

sequences of loading and unloading, developing space utilization plans, and implementing the

movement of materials from dock to bin or from storage to shipping. In mechanized warehouses

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Materials Handling, 6907 TS-58 September 1990

they may provide guidance to lower level workers in the operation of specialized equipment such

as manned storage and retrieval cranes, automated stock selectors, multipack induction

conveyors, and other automated or mechanized equipment. They also provide guidance to lower

level workers in accessing and using remote computer terminals and equipment to verify

inventory levels, fill orders, place stock, and develop the necessary computerized documentation.

In nonautomated warehouses they are responsible for effectively accomplishing all types of

warehouse functions as assigned. They are often responsible for directing and guiding the work

of lower level workers as well as making determinations as to placement, unloading, timing, and

general movement of materials within assigned areas. Grade 6 materials handlers work under

the general direction of a supervisor or facility supervisor. In smaller warehouse and storage

facilities grade 6 materials handlers may have responsibility for the movement of the stock as

well as the maintenance of stock level inventories. In larger warehouse stock such as hazardous

materials, high value items, an equipment or commodity group, or surplus materials areas,

insuring appropriate adherence to established documentation, safety, material movement, and

preservation procedures and requirements.

Assignments may include responsibility for the re-warehousing of a large storage area,

maintaining and arranging storage areas in accordance with warehouse plans and safety

procedures, and the automated equipment and warehouse material movement vehicles. Grade 6

materials handlers may recommend the sequence of warehouse functions for an assigned area

such as the order of receiving, shipping, and issuing, based on general guidelines and knowledge

of material movement priorities and procedures.

Review of work is based on results achieved including the meeting of schedules and priorities,

accuracy of stock balances, orderliness of storage areas, adherence to general warehouse plans,

and customer service effectiveness.

Physical Effort

: Physical effort at this grade is the same as that described at grade 4.

Working Conditions: Working conditions at this grade are the same as those described at

grade 4.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management