As of June 2026, Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders has an AI-exposure score of 61/100 (Elevated exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
More exposed than 72% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$58,040. About 14,400 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Production roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.
- Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results.
- Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products.
- Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials.
- Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed.
- Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing.
- Direct activities of workers assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials.
- Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures.
- Notify maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions.
- Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.
- Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications.
- 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.
- Dump or scoop prescribed solid, granular, or powdered materials into equipment.
- Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products.
- Drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean tanks or equipment.
- Add treating or neutralizing agents to products, and pump products through filters or centrifuges to remove impurities or to precipitate products.
- Read plant specifications to determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures.
- Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.
- Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.
- Observe and compare colors and consistencies of products to instrument readings and to laboratory and standard test results.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (55%).
Safer adjacent roles
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