BUILDING SERVICES ASSISTANT 1, GRADE 5

New York State Department of Civil Service Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

Positions in this class perform a variety of routine unskilled and manual tasks related to the operation and maintenance of State-owned buildings and facilities, the surrounding grounds, and the vehicles and equipment used in maintaining these sites. These positions exist in the Office of General Services.

CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA

Positions in this class perform a combination of maintenance and custodial operations, operate motor vehicles as needed in conjunction with primary duties, and perform parking service duties at various State-owned buildings managed by the Office of General Services.

A Building Services Assistant 1 working alone or as part of a work crew performs a variety of routine tasks generally under the supervision of a higher level maintenance/custodial position or the Building Manager requiring light, medium and heavy physical effort in cleaning and caring for an assigned area of a building and adjacent area. Incumbents also perform tasks involving public contact such as selling parking tickets to patrons or visitors, operating passenger elevators and providing general information regarding the particular site.

RELATED CLASSES

The Building Services Assistant 1 is a generalist class which performs a variety of routine maintenance and custodial tasks associated with such classes as Laboratory Caretaker, Window Washer, Cleaner, Maintenance Helper, Laborer, Grounds Worker, Executive Mansion Aide 1, and Janitor. They may also perform routine tasks and duties associated with Supply Assistant, Parking Services Attendant, Elevator Operator, and Elevator Starter. The Building Services Assistant 1 class is distinguished from these others by the broader variety of tasks assigned.

Positions of Building Service Aide, NS perform a limited number of basic, unskilled cleaning tasks in an office setting or in the halls and public areas of State-operated facilities. Positions are characterized by performance of these duties on a part-time basis, usually working only four to six hours a day, as needed, to supplement a custodial program.

Building Services Assistant 2, Grade 9 is also a generalist class responsible for performing a variety of semiskilled tasks in the operation, maintenance and repair of State-owned buildings and facilities, the surrounding grounds and the vehicles and equipment used in maintaining these sites.

ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES AND TASKS

This Classification Standard is intended to be illustrative of positions of Building Services Assistant 1 and the duties and tasks which can be assigned to incumbents. Specific duties of each individual position will be described on a posting/vacancy notice and in performance programs based on the operating needs of the agency.

Activities

Depending upon the assignment any combination of the following may be performed by an incumbent:

- Performs routine and repetitive tasks in an office services, mailroom, warehouse, or records storage operation.

- Performs a variety of routine custodial tasks in the cleaning, care and unskilled repair work required in a building, adjacent grounds and sidewalks.

- Operates automatic or hand controlled passenger or freight elevators in State-owned or leased buildings.

- Performs a variety of routine duties involved in the operation and maintenance of the Executive Mansion and related facilities.

- Performs a variety of routine manual unskilled tasks as a member on a construction or maintenance crew.

- Performs a variety of routine unskilled manual tasks to assist semiskilled and skilled trades positions in one or a combination of crafts in the maintenance and repair of buildings, adjacent areas, sidewalks and roads.

- Performs manual work in the care and cleaning of scientific laboratories, and simple routine duties with ongoing experiments in an assigned area such as feeding and

watering animals, changing cultures in incubators and accepting, sorting, and distributing laboratory specimens.

- Provides information to the public, courteous service to parking services patrons and visitors, and insures that the area is secured to prevent injury to people or damage to property.

- Washes windows from both the inside and outside which may require the use of scaffolds, ladders, and safety apparatus.

Illustrative Tasks

- Performs office-related activities such as filing, alphabetizing, photocopying, sorting and delivering mail, storing records or supplies on shelves, bins and/or on the floor.

- Directs the parking of vehicles, collects parking fees, and prepares standard reports of the day's receipts by reconciling money received with the value of the tickets issued.

- Provides visitors with information regarding tourist attractions, office locations and the facility's rules and regulations.

- Inspects, checks and patrols areas to detect vandalism or non-adherence to safety procedures; reports defects, possible hazards or potentially dangerous conditions in the building and adjacent areas.

- Performs general grounds maintenance tasks such as clearing sites, raking or tilling soil, mowing lawns, applying fertilizers and pesticides, cutting brush and wood, trimming and removing trees and shrubs, maintaining roads and sidewalks, and removing snow, trash and other obstructions from the building and surrounding areas. Loads trucks with debris, dirt and other materials.

- Performs routine maintenance tasks on windows such as replacing broken panes, adjusting slipped panes, glazing and painting sashes, and oiling mechanisms.

- Cleans buildings and facilities:

- Using mops, brushes, detergents, buffers, floor scrubbers and other cleaning implements, washes floors, corridors, stairs and  stairwells, walls, light fixtures, ceilings, and partitions.

-   Hangs curtains, drapes, pictures and other decorative objects.

-   Strips and waxes floors, vacuums and/or shampoos carpets using manual/mechanical equipment.

-   Picks up and removes articles on floor and in trash containers.

-   Empties trash receptacles, and moves and places in appropriate location.

-   Using detergents and hand operated equipment scrubs and cleans all areas of lavatories such as sinks, urinals and toilets.

-    Polishes wood and metal fixtures and equipment using designated equipment.

-    Sets up chairs, podiums and related equipment for conferences, seminars and special events, and loads and unloads furniture, equipment and freight.

- Assists trades positions in performing the routine and unskilled work such as carrying supplies and equipment, erecting ladders and scaffolding, cleaning, flushing and repairing gutters and drains, removing materials from construction sites, preparing surfaces and spreading paint, digging ditches, loading and unloading trucks, carrying bricks and mortar, performing rough carpentry and masonry work, and cleaning the work site after repair work is completed.

-    Operates self-propelled and motorized equipment, such as lawn mowers, pumps, compressors, vehicles, small trucks, and light construction equipment.

-    Performs a variety of routine manual tasks in a greenhouse such as repairing flats, sterilizing pots and soil, mixing potting soil, planting seeds/seedlings, and maintaining simple greenhouse records.

-    Assists automotive and other mechanics in performing routine and unskilled tasks in the repair and maintenance of automotive equipment and other machinery such as mounting and dismounting snowplows, salt spreaders, engines, transmissions and differentials, performing minor engine tune-ups, changing oil, tires, and batteries and cleaning and polishing vehicles.

-    Performs a variety of routine building maintenance tasks such as unclogging toilets and sinks, and changing light bulbs and tubes.

-    Operates an elevator to transport passengers and/or freight between floors of a building.

-    Performs a variety of housekeeping tasks such as laundering table and bed linen, assisting in the preparation and serving of meals, making and changing beds, and maintaining linen and cedar closets.

INDEPENDENCE OF OPERATION

A Building Services Assistant 1 performs under varying degrees of independence. Incumbents of these positions usually work under close supervision and under clear, simple guidelines. They may set their own priorities for daily activities in achieving a given assignment or work schedule. Their work is usually closely reviewed and may require direct supervision when more complicated activities are required.

More difficult assignments which would suffer greater consequences of error and would require more than routine manual tasks are generally performed by the Building Services Assistant 2, General Mechanic or a person serving in a journey level title.

COMPLEXITY

A Building Services Assistant 1 will generally perform routine manual and unskilled simple tasks and will require little or no written instructions. They usually are assigned to work in a crew where others are performing the same or similar tasks.

COMMUNICATION

The maintenance activities performed by a Building Services Assistant 1 generally restrict relationships to employees working within the same organizational unit. However, incumbents may be called on to answer

routine questions. They may also have to explain rules and regulations and handle simple complaints. Written communications with the general public are not typical.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

The Building Services Assistant 1 is a non-supervisory position. These positions work under the supervision of a General Mechanic, Building Superintendent or Building Manager.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

- Ability to perform simple manual tasks.

- Ability to perform light, medium and heavy manual labor.

-  Ability to understand and follow oral and simple written instructions.

- Ability to communicate in a polite and tactful manner with others for the purpose of exchanging information.

- Ability to recognize maintenance problems.

- Ability to bend, lift and stoop, to walk and stand for long periods and to climb ladders and scaffolds.

- Ability to use a variety of hand and power tools and motorized and/or self-propelled equipment.

- Ability to operate a motor vehicle and a variety of light mechanized construction equipment.

- Ability to operate assigned machinery in a safe and effective manner.

-  Ability to perform routine repairs and maintenance on equipment.

- Ability to read and write in English.

- Working knowledge of the location of buildings and uses that may be made of the facility.

- Working knowledge of the facility's procedure in receiving cash and distributing tickets.

- Working knowledge of the maintenance practices and procedures used at the assigned site.

- Working knowledge of the proper use of fertilizers, sprays and dusts used to control and eradicate pests and diseases.

- Working knowledge of the properties of various cleaning substances.

- Basic knowledge of the Vehicle and Traffic Law as it applies to the safe and legal operation of the assigned equipment.

- Basic knowledge of the routine repair and maintenance of equipment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must be physically able to perform the tasks of the position and be able to understand and carry out written instructions.  When required to operate motor vehicles, incumbents must possess a valid NYS driver's license appropriate for the type of vehicle being operated.