Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.
139,630 people do this job in the US. $58,040 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 18%
- 3%
- 79%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 18%. Today's estimate: 18%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 24 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control or operate equipment in which chemical changes or reactions take place during the processing of industrial or consumer products.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Drain equipment, and pump water or other solutions through to flush and clean tanks or equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Measure, weigh, and mix chemical ingredients, according to specifications.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Load products into tanks for shipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Flush or clean equipment, using steam hoses or mechanical reamers.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 2.1 h | Stays with people | |
| Add treating or neutralizing agents to products, and pump products through filters or centrifuges to remove impurities or to precipitate products.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 98%Half by now | |
| 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.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Test product samples for specific gravity, chemical characteristics, pH levels, concentrations, or viscosities, or send them to laboratories for testing.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Open valves or start pumps, agitators, reactors, blowers, or automatic feed of materials.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Chemical Plant and System Operators22% now, 22% by 2028
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders6% now, 6% by 2028
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators11% now, 11% by 2028
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders5% now, 5% by 2028
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic20% now, 20% by 2028
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders10% now, 10% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).