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Rigger

Skilled Trades

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Mechanical Engineering

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability.
  2. 2Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials.
  3. 3Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment.
  4. 4Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules.
  5. 5Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques.
  6. 6Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use.
  7. 7Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools.
  8. 8Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets.
  9. 9Align, level, and anchor machinery.
  10. 10Install ground rigging for yarding lines, attaching chokers to logs and to the lines.
  11. 11Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation.
  12. 12Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures, such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps.
  13. 13Fabricate, set up, and repair rigging, supporting structures, hoists, and pulling gear, using hand and power tools.
  14. 14Clean and dress machine surfaces and component parts.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Grip
  • Rigger
  • Riggers
  • Slinger
  • Boat Rigger
  • Hand Rigger
  • High Rigger
  • Hook Tender
  • Loft Rigger
  • Rig Builder

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Mechanical74%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Public Safety and Security73%
  • Production and Processing72%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Customer and Personal Service71%
  • Administration and Management69%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Design67%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Riggers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org