Swamper (occupational title)
Encyclopedia
A swamper in occupational slang is an assistant worker, helper, maintenance
man or a person who performs odd jobs. The term has its origins circa 1857 in the southern United States to refer to a workman who cleared roads for a tree feller in a swamp
, according to the Oxford English Dictionary
. It has since branched out into a variety of meanings, all of which denote some variation on an unskilled laborer working as an assistant to a skilled worker.
Maintenance, Repair and Operations
Maintenance, repair, and operations or maintenance, repair, and overhaul involves fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it become out of order or broken...
man or a person who performs odd jobs. The term has its origins circa 1857 in the southern United States to refer to a workman who cleared roads for a tree feller in a swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
, according to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
. It has since branched out into a variety of meanings, all of which denote some variation on an unskilled laborer working as an assistant to a skilled worker.
Examples of usage
- In the trucking industry in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a truck driverTruck driverA truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
's assistant who performs a variety of tasks as a helper under supervision of the operator but does not drive. - A laborer in the moving industry. Most work consists of loading and unloading packed boxes, furniture and other objects.
- In loggingLoggingLogging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, somebody who clears brush, clears paths for logs to be transported to the landing, or limbs felled trees before they are buckedLog buckingthumb|right|Bucker measuring and swamping or knot bumpingthumb|right|Bucker - Making the CutBucking is the process of cutting a felled and delimbed tree into logs...
. - In the restaurantRestaurantA restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
industry, a kitchen assistant to the chefChefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
. Also, somebody who cleans up after closing of a restaurant, bar, or nightclub. - In the United States Forest ServiceUnited States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, a firefighter in charge of the maintenance of tools and equipment; also used to refer to the assistant to a sawyerSawyerSawyer is an occupational term referring to someone who saws wood. One such job was the now-archaic occupation of someone who cut lumber to length for the consumer market, a task now done by end users or at lumber and home improvement stores...
who clears brush as the sawyer cuts it. - In commercial river outfittingRaftingRafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
, an assistant to the main pilot of the boat, who helps with cooking and setup and takedown of campsites. - A job in the Oil and Gas Transportation Services. Jobs in this service line or sector use specialized vehicles to transport equipment, liquid and gas products, and other supplies used in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas resources. Workers in such jobs take part in pre-job planning, equipment preparation, loading, dismantling, unloading and erecting of yard and field equipment and post-job operations.