Will “Operator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

85% Chance of Automation

“Operator” will probably be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #487 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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Job Description

Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 51-8091.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 59,430.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 28.00
Currently, there are 33,300 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Chemical Plant and System Operators”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Operator”

Repair or replace damaged equipment.
Supervise the cleaning of towers, strainers, or spray tips.
Defrost frozen valves, using steam hoses.
Gauge tank levels, using calibrated rods.
Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks.
Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.
Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.
Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.
Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments.
Calculate material requirements or yields according to formulas.
Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
Direct workers engaged in operating machinery that regulates the flow of materials and products.
Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality.
Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.
Notify maintenance, stationary-engineering, or other auxiliary personnel to correct equipment malfunctions or to adjust power, steam, water, or air supplies.
Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.
Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals, to verify conformity of process conditions.

Related Technology & Tools

Manometers
Recording calorimeters
Digital surface thermometers
Viscometers
Cooling towers
Personal protective equipment
Thermocouple temperature probes
Industrial fans
Steam hoses
Steam turbines
Calibrated rods
Agitator tanks
Axial flow fans
Collectors
Chain conveyors
Soap-spray storage tanks
Panelboards
Centrifugal pumps
Panel lights
Distillation columns
Mixing tanks
Conveyor feeders
Humidifiers
Storage drums
Bucket elevators
Gas analyzers
Pressure gauges
Chemical reactor vessels
Display screens
Air conditioning systems
Centrifugal compressors
Reciprocating compressors
Heating vessels
Refrigeration systems
Blending vessels
Centrifugal fans
Desktop computers
Rotary pumps
Positive displacement pumps
Silencers
Capacitance probes
Hydraulic accumulators
Barometers
Thermocouples
Belt conveyors
Fire extinguishers
Screw conveyors
Radiographic detecting instruments
Boilers
Neutralizer tanks
Bourdon tubes
Reciprocating pumps
Effluent treatment systems
Tensometers
Industrial liquid flowmeters
Hoppers
Control boards
Industrial dryers
Wet scrubbers
Converter vessels

Interlock shutdown systems
Coordinated incident management system CIMS software
Microsoft Excel
Distributed control system DCS
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Word
Alarm management system software