Metal Cleaning & Washing Operators: Equipment Careers

Also called: Acid Dipper, Agitator, Agricultural Produce Washer, Air Table Operator, Ampoule Washing Machine Operator

Metal Cleaning & Washing Operators: Equipment Careers

Varies

estimated salary

Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plates, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.

  • Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
  • Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
  • Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
  • Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
  • Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.
  • Record gauge readings, materials used, processing times, or test results in production logs.
  • Examine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions.
  • Measure, weigh, or mix cleaning solutions, using measuring tanks, calibrated rods or suction tubes.
  • Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity.
  • Adjust, clean, and lubricate mechanical parts of machines, using hand tools and grease guns.
  • Load machines with objects to be processed and unload them after cleaning, placing them on conveyors or racks.
Work Context

Work Context information for this career will be available soon.

Work Activities
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Apply solutions to production equipment.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
  • Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
  • Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
  • Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
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Knowledge

Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills

Operation and Control
  • Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Abilities

Near Vision
  • The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Control Precision
  • The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Information Ordering
  • The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Data base user interface and query software
  • Data entry software Hot Technology
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology
Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology