How to become a rigger or Cable splicer
Official title: Rigger/Cable splicer
Also called: Cable and rope splicer, Cable railway rigger, Cable splicer, Construction hoist rigger, Derrick-boat operator, Gas and oil well drilling rigger, Hoisting equipment rigger, Hoisting equipment rigger (construction), Rigger, Ship rigger, Signaller and rigger (construction), Signalman
Rigger/Cable splicer assembles rigging gear to move and position equipment and structural components, or to install and maintain cables, ropes and wires on construction sites, buildings or other structures.
Main tasks
- Estimating the size, shape and weight of objects to be moved and deciding on the type of equipment to move them
- Installing and repairing cables, ropes, wires, pulleys and other tackle
- Joining, repairing and fitting attachments to wires, ropes and cables
- Working as member of crew erecting and repairing derricks for drilling water, gas- and oil wells
- Lifting and mounting scenery, lighting and other equipment in theatres and on film sets
- Installing and maintaining communication towers, aerial cableways, funicular railways, ski lifts and similar infrastructure
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a rigger or Cable splicer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026
