Manufacturing51-9011.00Specialization

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.

$51,720
Median Pay
Less than 6 months
Training
🟑
AI-Augmented

This is a specialization of

Other Production Workers

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 3/6: low AI task exposure, limited human advantage means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟑AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Low+2

15% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

+3% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Weak+0

EPOCH score: 9/25

Total Score3/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

Key Responsibilities

  • Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.
  • Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results.
  • Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products.
  • Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.
  • Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed.
  • Adjust controls to regulate temperature, pressure, feed, or flow of liquids or gases and times of prescribed reactions, according to knowledge of equipment and processes.
  • Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.
  • Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing.
  • Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.
  • Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Time to Job Ready

0-1 years

Based on Job Zone 2. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

Microsoft ExcelERP systems (SAP)Process control softwareMicrosoft Office

Key Abilities

Oral ComprehensionOral ExpressionProblem SensitivityControl PrecisionNear VisionWritten ComprehensionPerceptual SpeedInformation OrderingMultilimb CoordinationFar Vision

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Compensation Details

$36,200
10th Percentile
$51,720
Median
$84,310
90th Percentile

Based on 120,260 employed workers

Also Known As

Acetone Recovery WorkerAcetylene Plant OperatorAcid BleacherAcid CleanerAcid ConcentratorAcid CondenserAcid ExtractorAcid MakerAcid OperatorAcid Patroller

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 51-9011.00