Will “Conveyor Belt Operator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 53-7011.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 33,870.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 16.00
• Currently, there are 28,590 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Conveyor Operators and Tenders”.

Also Known As…

• Conveyor Operators and Tenders
• Process Operator
• Process Line Operator
• Press Operator
• Packing Line Operator
• Debarker Operator
• Chipper Operator
• Chain Puller
• Cartoner Operator
• Bander
• Assembly Line Tender
• Unscrambler
• Trolley Operator
• Transfer Operator
• Tipple Tender
• Tipple Operator
• Tip-Out Worker
• Stacker Tender
• Spout Tender
• Sinter Feeder
• Silo Tender
• Silo Operator
• Profinish Line Helper
• Production Supply Equipment Tender
• Production Line Technician
• Pneumatic System Conveyor Operator
• Palletizer Operator
• Operator
• Milled Rubber Tender
• Meal Loader
• Material Handler
• Log Sorter Operator
• Grain Loader
• Grain Elevator Operator
• Fruit Distributor
• Forklift Operator
• Finishing Tracker
• Extraction Operator
• Elevator Operator
• Dryer Operator
• Drier Take-Off Tender
• Denester Operator
• Cooker Loader
• Conveyor Tender
• Conveyor Technician
• Conveyor System Operator
• Conveyor System Dispatcher
• Conveyor Console Operator
• Conveyor Attendant
• Console Attendant
• Coke Loader
• Chip Unloader
• Chip Loft Worker
• Chip Bin Operator
• Chip Bin Conveyor Tender
• Char Conveyor Tender
• Cement Loader
• Bull-Chain Operator
• Brick Unloader Tender
• Break Down Operator
• Boom Conveyor Operator
• Bin Tripper Operator
• Beltman
• Belt Tender
• Belt Operator
• Bed Operator
• Bark Belt Operator
• Ash Conveyor Operator
• Aerial Tram Operator

Tasks for “Conveyor Belt Operator”

• Load, unload, or adjust materials or products on conveyors by hand, by using lifts, hoists, and scoops, or by opening gates, chutes, or hoppers.
• Clean, sterilize, and maintain equipment, machinery, and work stations, using hand tools, shovels, brooms, chemicals, hoses, and lubricants.
• Operate consoles to control automatic palletizing equipment.
• Position deflector bars, gates, chutes, or spouts to divert flow of materials from one conveyor onto another conveyor.
• Measure dimensions of bundles, using rulers, and cut battens to required sizes, using power saws.
• Observe packages moving along conveyors in order to identify packages and to detect defective packaging.
• Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows.
• Repair or replace equipment components or parts such as blades, rolls, and pumps.
• Press console buttons to deflect packages to predetermined accumulators or reject lines.
• Distribute materials, supplies, and equipment to work stations, using lifts and trucks.
• Read production and delivery schedules, and confer with supervisors, to determine sorting and transfer procedures, arrangement of packages on pallets, and destinations of loaded pallets.
• Stop equipment or machinery and clear jams, using poles, bars, and hand tools, or remove damaged materials from conveyors.
• Inform supervisors of equipment malfunctions that need to be addressed.
• Operate elevator systems in conjunction with conveyor systems.
• Join sections of conveyor frames at temporary working areas, and connect power units.
• Record production data such as weights, types, quantities, and storage locations of materials, as well as equipment performance problems and downtime.
• Contact workers in work stations or other departments to request movement of materials, products, or machinery, or to notify them of incoming shipments and their estimated delivery times.
• Weigh or measure materials and products, using scales or other measuring instruments, or read scales on conveyors that continually weigh products, to verify specified tonnages and prevent overloads.
• Affix identifying information to materials or products, using hand tools.
• Move, assemble, and connect hoses or nozzles to material hoppers, storage tanks, conveyor sections or chutes, and pumps.
• Thread strapping through strapping tools and secure battens with strapping to form protective pallets around extrusions.
• Observe conveyor operations and monitor lights, dials, and gauges to maintain specified operating levels and to detect equipment malfunctions.
• Collect samples of materials or products, checking them to ensure conformance to specifications or sending them to laboratories for analysis.

Related Technology & Tools

• Strapping tools
• Gate pumps
• Scoops
• Hydraulic lifts
• Hydraulic booms
• Belt conveyors systems
• Hearing protection plugs
• Hoppers
• Portable power saws
• Pallet jacks
• Digital video cameras
• Automobiles
• Pickup trucks
• Handheld scanners
• Wheeled forklifts
• Grain conveyors
• Spot welders
• Precision rulers
• Vibrating conveyors
• Safety gloves
• Chain conveyor systems
• Screw conveyors
• Boom conveyors
• Electric hoists
• Mobile radios
• Sump pumps
• Light industrial vans
• Watering hoses
• Automatic palletizing equipment
• Laser facsimile machines
• Desktop computers
• Grease dispensing guns
• Protective safety glasses
• Elevator systems
• Digital floor scales
• Oil dispensing cans

• Data entry software
• Sortation software
• Conveyor control software
• Microsoft Windows
• Control system software
• Intelligrated InControlWare