According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards. | 90% |
| Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems. | 85% |
| Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications. | 84% |
| Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books. | 84% |
| Stop equipment and clear blockages or jams, using fingers, wire, or hand tools. | 83% |
| Read and interpret work orders and instructions to determine work assignments, process specifications, and production schedules. | 83% |
| Examine or test samples of processed substances, or collect samples for laboratory testing, to ensure conformance to specifications. | 83% |
| Load equipment receptacles or conveyors with material to be processed, by hand or using hoists. | 83% |
| Remove products from equipment, manually or using hoists, and prepare them for storage, shipment, or additional processing. | 81% |
| Calculate amounts of materials to be loaded into furnaces, adjusting amounts as necessary for specific conditions. | 81% |
| Transport materials and products to and from work areas, manually or using carts, handtrucks, or hoists. | 79% |
| Melt or refine metal before casting, calculating required temperatures, and observe metal color, adjusting controls as necessary to maintain required temperatures. | 79% |
| Weigh or measure specified amounts of ingredients or materials for processing, using devices such as scales and calipers. | 77% |
| Direct crane operators and crew members to load vessels with materials to be processed. | 76% |
| Feed fuel, such as coal and coke, into fireboxes or onto conveyors, and remove ashes from furnaces, using shovels and buckets. | 72% |
| Replace worn or defective equipment parts, using hand tools. | 70% |
| Clean, lubricate, and adjust equipment, using scrapers, solvents, air hoses, oil, and hand tools. | 65% |
| Sprinkle chemicals on the surface of molten metal to bring impurities to surface and remove impurities, using strainers. | 60% |
