Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Listening
- Writing
Key knowledge
- Production and Processing
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Chemistry
What the work involves
- Monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.
- Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.
- Control or operate manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.
- Operate control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.
- Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
- Verify that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.
- Read automatic gauges at specified intervals to determine the flow rate of oil into or from tanks, and the amount of oil in tanks.
- Operate auxiliary equipment and control multiple processing units during distilling or treating operations, moving controls that regulate valves, pumps, compressors, and auxiliary equipment.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (97% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (18.6%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (43.5%)
- 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 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 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 | Lower on contact with others than 59% of occupations compared | 62% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 79% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared | 64% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 80% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Lower on time pressure than 59% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 71% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 59% of occupations compared | 41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 93% of occupations compared | 51% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: very 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: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 16.6%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0.78%
- Contact with others most of the time: 20.46%
- Constant contact with others: 62.16%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 31.26%
- Fairly important: 9.86%
- Important: 35.62%
- Very important: 11.3%
- Extremely important: 11.95%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 2.67%
- Important: 8.51%
- Very important: 24.77%
- Extremely important: 64.04%
n = 25, Incumbent 08/2023
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 7.6%
- Very little freedom: 2.71%
- Limited freedom: 27.1%
- Some freedom: 33.01%
- A lot of freedom: 29.58%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 11.3%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 37.61%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.24%
- Every day: 34.85%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Conflict situations
- Never: 14.36%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 46.49%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 13.08%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 24.45%
- Every day: 1.62%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 11.3%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 41.13%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 29.87%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 9.68%
- Every day: 8.02%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 7.16%
- Fairly serious: 2.71%
- Serious: 2.4%
- Very serious: 36.54%
- Extremely serious: 51.19%
n = 26, Incumbent 08/2023
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O*NET-SOC 51-8093.00 · SOC 51-8093 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8