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33-9093.00 · Task explorer

Transportation Security Screeners: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.

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Read the task inventory

This source lists 26 tasks, including 24 marked Core and 2 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 06/2009.

26 tasks shown

Core · Task 15341 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.

Core · Task 15348 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.

Core · Task 15332 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.

Core · Task 15350 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.

Core · Task 15346 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.

Core · Task 15345 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.

Core · Task 15349 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.

Core · Task 15337 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.

Core · Task 15354 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.

Core · Task 15339 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.

Core · Task 15342 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.

Core · Task 15331 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.

Core · Task 15333 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.

Core · Task 15353 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.

Core · Task 15355 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.

Core · Task 15336 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.

Core · Task 15347 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.

Core · Task 15352 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.

Core · Task 15335 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.

Core · Task 15334 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.

Core · Task 15344 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.

Core · Task 15340 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.

Core · Task 15356 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.

Core · Task 15338 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.

Supplemental · Task 15351 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.

Supplemental · Task 15343 · 06/2009 · Occupational Expert

Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

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