Who We Are:
Plain Dealing Lumber is a harvesting and lumber manufacturing company in Plain Dealing, LA, committed to sustainable forestry and producing high-quality wood products. Our fast-paced, hands-on environment prioritizes safety, teamwork, and opportunities for continuous growth and long-term skill development.

• Safely operate assigned planer mill equipment, which may include the planer, trimmer, edger, tilt hoist, green chain, sorter, and stacker, according to established procedures and supervisor direction.
• Develop skills across multiple planer mill positions through our operator progression structure:
  • Operator 1: Qualified to operate one assigned position.
  • Operator 2: Qualified to operate 2-3 positions.
  • Operator 3: Qualified to operate 4 or more positions.
• Feed and stage lumber at the correct orientation, rate, and spacing to maintain consistent production flow and prevent jams, misfeeds, or equipment damage.
• Monitor lumber quality and identify defects or variations, including surface defects, dimension issues, snipe, chatter, and wane, and promptly report or remove non-conforming product.
• Complete pre-shift equipment inspections to ensure guards, rolls, conveyors, and other components are in safe operating condition before startup.
• Operate sorting, stacking, and material-handling equipment to ensure finished lumber is properly organized by grade, species, and dimension.
• Maintain accurate production counts, shift logs, downtime records, and quality information for assigned equipment and work areas.
• Follow all company safety policies and lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures, including completing required LOTO before clearing, cleaning, or adjusting equipment.
• Maintain clean, safe, and organized work areas by regularly removing sawdust, wood chips, trim ends, and other production debris.
• Communicate with other operators, maintenance personnel, and supervisors to address equipment issues, production bottlenecks, or quality concerns.
• Assist with authorized operational tasks as directed and promptly report safety concerns, equipment malfunctions, unusual conditions, or changes in product quality.

• High school diploma or GED preferred; not required with verifiable planer mill or manufacturing experience.
  • Operator 1: No prior planer mill experience required; willingness to learn and commitment to safety are essential.
  • Operator 2/3: Prior experience operating planer mills or similar production equipment required.
• Ability to follow verbal and written instructions, including run sheets, shift logs, safety procedures, and basic lumber specifications.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify lumber quality defects and maintain safe work practices around moving production equipment.
• Ability to work in a high-noise, high-dust manufacturing environment, including rotating shifts, scheduled overtime, and weekends as required.

• Work is performed primarily in a planer mill production environment with continuous exposure to high noise levels, sawdust, wood chips, vibration, moving machinery, and varying temperatures.
• Regularly work in physically demanding conditions around industrial machinery and lumber production equipment.
• Prolonged standing and walking throughout the shift, with frequent bending, reaching, and movement between assigned production areas.
• Frequent lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling of lumber, materials, and equipment weighing up to 60 lbs.
• Regularly bend, crouch, stoop, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive tasks associated with lumber feeding, sorting, stacking, and machine operation.
• See, hear, communicate, and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity and visual acuity to safely operate equipment and identify product or equipment issues.
• Required use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed boots, and high-visibility vests, in designated production areas.
• Follow all lockout/tagout (LOTO) and required safety procedures before performing equipment clearance or adjustment tasks.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.