Will “Chemical Plant and System Operators” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

85% Chance of Automation

“Chemical Plant and System Operators” 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

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Chemical Plant and System Operators”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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