A swamper in occupational slang is an assistant worker, helper,
maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...
person, or someone 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 timber faller in a swamp, according to the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
''.
[{{Cite web, url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-swa1.htm, title = World Wide Words: Swamper] It has since branched out into a variety of meanings, all of which denote some variation on an
unskilled labor
Skill is a measure of the amount of worker's expertise, specialization, wages, and supervisory capacity. Skilled workers are generally more trained, higher paid, and have more responsibilities than unskilled workers.
Skilled workers have long had ...
er working as an assistant to a skilled worker.
Examples of usage
* In the
trucking
Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...
industry (primarily moving & storage) in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, a
truck driver
A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
'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
logging, somebody who clears brush, clears paths for logs to be transported to the landing, or
limbs felled trees before they are
bucked.
* In the
restaurant industry, a kitchen assistant to the
chef. Also, somebody who cleans up after closing of a restaurant, bar, or nightclub.
* In the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
, a
firefighter in charge of the maintenance of tools and equipment; also used to refer to the assistant to a
sawyer
*A sawyer (occupation) is someone who saws wood.
*Sawyer, a fallen tree stuck on the bottom of a river, where it constitutes a danger to boating.
Places in the United States
Communities
*Sawyer, Kansas
*Sawyer, Kentucky
* Sawyer, Michigan
* Saw ...
who clears brush as the sawyer cuts it.
* In commercial
river outfitting, an assistant to the main pilot of the boat, who helps with cooking and setup and takedown of campsites.
* A laborer in the oil and gas transportation services. Jobs in the oil rig mobilization sector use specialized heavy-haul vehicles to transport oil rigs, 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 oil rigs and field equipment and post-job operations.
See also
*
Gofer
A gofer, go-fer or gopher is an employee who specializes in the delivery of special items to their superior(s). Examples of these special items include a cup of coffee, a tool, a tailored suit, or a car. Outside of the business world, the term ...
References
Cleaning and maintenance occupations
Forestry occupations
Hospitality occupations
Transport occupations