Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.
What you’d do
- Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.
- Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.
- Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.
- Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.
- Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results.
- Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed.
- Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications.
- Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials.
Skills that matter
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
How to get there
Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one
Also called
- Chemical Operator (Chemical Tech)
- Chlorination Operator
- Multiskill Operator
- Outside Operator
- Chemical Process Operator
- Chemical Reactor Operator
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