A professional who tends picking machine that opens or shreds and fluffs raw or used materials, such as wool, kapok, foam rubber, or hair to facilitate further processing. Responsibilities include:

• Cuts open bales of raw materials.
• Starts machine and deposits handfuls of raw material on feeding apron that conveys material into picking or shredding rollers.
• Observes machine to detect clogged rollers.
• Stops machine, and strips fiber from rollers, using knife, scissors, or hands.
• May spray raw material with oil emulsion.
• May be designated according to material processed as hair-picking-machine operator; tow-picker operator; wool-picker operator.