Transportation Security Screeners
SOC: 33-9093.00

Description:

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.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Employment Projections:

Employment (2014):
46,600 employed

Projected (2024):
42,400 employed

Projected growth (2014-2024)


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 2014-2024 employment projections external site. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2014-2024). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Alternate Titles:

  • Airline Security Representative
  • Airport Baggage Screener
  • Airport Screener
  • Airport Security Screener
  • Bag Checker
  • Baggage Inspector
  • Baggage Screener
  • Baggage Security Checker
  • Biometric Screener
  • Flight Security Specialist
  • Passenger Screener
  • Screener
  • Security Inspector
  • Security Officer
  • Security Screener
  • Transportation Security Administration Screener (TSA Screener)
  • Transportation Security Officer (TSO)
  • Transportation Security Screener

    • Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

    Education:

    These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Operations Analysis
  • Equipment Selection
  • Programming
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Chemistry
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Communications and Media
  • Transportation

    • Tasks:

  • Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
  • 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.
  • Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure.
  • Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.
  • Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists.
  • Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios.
  • Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
  • Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.
  • Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.
  • Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items.
  • Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
  • Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering.
  • Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.
  • Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency.
  • Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
  • 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.
  • Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
  • Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
  • Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
  • Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
  • View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
  • Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints.
  • Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
  • Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.
  • Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items.
  • Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Backscatter imaging units
  • Black lights
  • Body imaging scanners
  • CastScope machines
  • Chemical detection testing kits
  • Desktop computers
  • Explosive detection systems
  • Explosive trace portals
  • Handheld metal detectors
  • Laptop computers
  • Magnifying loupes
  • Millimeter wave imaging units
  • Mobile radios
  • Multi-line telephone systems
  • Personal computers
  • Two way radios
  • Walk-through metal detectors
  • X ray security inspection equipment
  • Data entry software
  • Email software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Threat Image Protection TIP software
  • Web browser software

    • protective service

    industry stats

    SOC: 33-0000

    Total Employed: 3,351,620

    Average Annual Salary: $44,610