Chemical Plant and System Operators

• Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals, to verify conformity of process conditions.
• Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.
• Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
• Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.
• Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
• Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.
• Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks.
• Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.
• Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.
• Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments.
• Notify maintenance, stationary-engineering, or other auxiliary personnel to correct equipment malfunctions or to adjust power, steam, water, or air supplies.
• Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.
• Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality.
• Repair or replace damaged equipment.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Chemical Plant and System Operators.

• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Chemical Plant and System Operators.