Excavator Mock Interview

Practice 35 Excavator interview questions covering safety protocols, equipment operation, and site experience.

Question 30 of 35

You are working a pipe job and are responsible for placing a precast pipe into a trench. You have two people on the ground giving different hand signals. What would you do in this situation?

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Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

When operating a piece of equipment, you will have signal personnel to communicate to you using universal hand signals. It is best to communicate with the team before operating the machine to know whose signals to follow. If multiple people use different hand signals, you want to stop the machine and clarify whose signals to follow. The interviewer wants to hear that you would be proactive and clarify which signals to follow to ensure you place the pipe correctly.

Krista Wenz

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

You want to avoid saying you would choose which signals to follow without speaking to your crew first. If you follow the wrong signals, you could place the pipe incorrectly and have to redo your work, costing the company time and money.

Krista Wenz

Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.

"If I were in a situation where multiple people were giving me different hand signals, I would stop the machine and ask for a quick meeting. I would ask whose hand signals I should follow and then follow those signals and no one else's. I would not want to have to redo my work, and I want to get it right the first time."

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