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.
Most important skills
- Operation and Control
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
- Active Listening
- Writing
Key knowledge
- Chemistry
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
What the work involves
- 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.
- Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.
- Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.
- Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products.
- Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications.
- Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.
- Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.
- Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (88.9% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- None (56.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (55.8%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Higher on contact with others than 50% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 96% of occupations compared | 66% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Very high | Higher on teamwork than 92% of occupations compared | 78% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 74% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 84% of occupations compared | 51% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Lower on conflict situations than 52% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 58% of occupations compared | — |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 73% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: moderate
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Occasional contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Contact with others about half the time: 17.36%
- Contact with others most of the time: 26.19%
- Constant contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 66.14%
- Fairly important: 15.66%
- Important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: 1.72%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Fairly important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Important: 1.79%
- Very important: 19.86%
- Extremely important: 78.35%
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very little freedom: 25.72%
- Limited freedom: 2.54%
- Some freedom: 35.56%
- A lot of freedom: 36.18%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: 1.7%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 4.24%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 50.97%
- Every day: 43.1%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 5.33%
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: 13.94%
- Every day: 13.5%
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 21.65%
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a week or more but not every day: 14.24%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 12, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 15.21%
- Fairly serious: 21.81%
- Serious: 3.4%
- Very serious: 10.53%
- Extremely serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 13, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 51-9011.00 · SOC 51-9011 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8