Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes. Operate equipment such as steam engines, generators, motors, turbines, and steam boilers.
28,250 people do this job in the US. $78,620 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 21%
- 0%
- 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, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 9%. Today's estimate: 13%.
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 . 25 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operate or tend stationary engines, boilers, and auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, or air-conditioning equipment, to supply and maintain steam or heat for buildings, marine vessels, or pneumatic tools.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 21% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop operation, safety, and maintenance procedures or assist in their development.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | 49%Half by now | |
| Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min8 min to 38 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Check the air quality of ventilation systems and make adjustments to ensure compliance with mandated safety codes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install burners and auxiliary equipment, using hand tools.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Operate mechanical hoppers and provide assistance in their adjustment and repair.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 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.
- Power Plant Operators41% now, 45% by 2028
- Biomass Plant Technicians6% now, 7% by 2028
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door1% now, 1% by 2028
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators45% now, 45% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineers7% now, 56% by 2028
- Geothermal Technicians23% now, 32% 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).