An
oiler (also known as a "greaser") is a worker whose main job is
to oil machinery. In previous eras there were oiler positions in various industries, including maritime work (
naval and
commercial),
railroading,
steelmaking, and
mining. Today most such positions have been eliminated through technological change; lubrication tends to require less human intervention, so that workers seldom have oiling as a principal duty. In the days of ubiquitous
plain bearings, oiling was often a job description in and of itself.