Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
Key knowledge
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
What the work involves
- Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products to ensure conformance to requirements.
- Operate or tend machines to mix or blend any of a wide variety of materials, such as spices, dough batter, tobacco, fruit juices, chemicals, livestock feed, food products, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
- Dump or pour specified amounts of materials into machinery or equipment.
- Observe production or monitor equipment to ensure safe and efficient operation.
- Stop mixing or blending machines when specified product qualities are obtained and open valves and start pumps to transfer mixtures.
- Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing.
- Add or mix chemicals or ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices.
- Examine materials, ingredients, or products visually or with hands to ensure conformance to established standards.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (80.3% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (51%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (47.8%)
- 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 Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, 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 | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 80% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 97% of occupations compared | 75% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 68% of occupations compared | 66% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 83% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 96% of occupations compared | 85% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Lower on conflict situations than 54% of occupations compared | 42% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 54% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 78% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
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: 11.93%
- Occasional contact with others: 10.13%
- Contact with others about half the time: 1.78%
- Contact with others most of the time: 25.97%
- Constant contact with others: 50.2%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 75.22%
- Fairly important: 7.2%
- Important: 3.15%
- Very important: 2.5%
- Extremely important: 11.93%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 4.33%
- Important: 10.08%
- Very important: 19.85%
- Extremely important: 65.75%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 35.64%
- Limited freedom: 7.63%
- Some freedom: 12.85%
- A lot of freedom: 43.88%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Time pressure
- Never: 4.28%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 1.83%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 0%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 8.95%
- Every day: 84.95%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Conflict situations
- Never: 20.23%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 31.02%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 3.15%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 42.45%
- Every day: 3.15%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 4.28%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 46.58%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 27.27%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 18.72%
- Every day: 3.15%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 5.8%
- Fairly serious: 19.74%
- Serious: 14.04%
- Very serious: 22.66%
- Extremely serious: 37.76%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2023
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O*NET-SOC 51-9023.00 · SOC 51-9023 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8