Will “Furnace Operator” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Clean, lubricate, and adjust equipment, using scrapers, solvents, air hoses, oil, and hand tools.

• Calculate amounts of materials to be loaded into furnaces, adjusting amounts as necessary for specific conditions.

• Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards.

• Melt or refine metal before casting, calculating required temperatures, and observe metal color, adjusting controls as necessary to maintain required temperatures.

• Replace worn or defective equipment parts, using hand tools.

• Feed fuel, such as coal and coke, into fireboxes or onto conveyors, and remove ashes from furnaces, using shovels and buckets.

• Stop equipment and clear blockages or jams, using fingers, wire, or hand tools.

• Transport materials and products to and from work areas, manually or using carts, handtrucks, or hoists.

• Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications.

• Direct crane operators and crew members to load vessels with materials to be processed.

• Weigh or measure specified amounts of ingredients or materials for processing, using devices such as scales and calipers.

• Examine or test samples of processed substances, or collect samples for laboratory testing, to ensure conformance to specifications.

• Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books.

• Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems.

• Read and interpret work orders and instructions to determine work assignments, process specifications, and production schedules.

• Load equipment receptacles or conveyors with material to be processed, by hand or using hoists.

• Remove products from equipment, manually or using hoists, and prepare them for storage, shipment, or additional processing.