Summary

Set up, operate, or tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment; filter presses; shaker screens; centrifuges; condenser tubes; precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks; scrubbing towers; or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. Includes dairy processing equipment operators.

Task Statement

Dump, pour, or load specified amounts of refined or unrefined materials into equipment or containers for further processing or storage. 

Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations. 

Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions. 

Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials. 

Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure. 

Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture. 

Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines. 

Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks. 

Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis. 

Communicate processing instructions to other workers. 

Turn valves to pump sterilizing solutions or rinse water through pipes or equipment or to spray vats with atomizers. 

Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases. 

Remove clogs, defects, or impurities from machines, tanks, conveyors, screens, or other processing equipment. 

Clean or sterilize tanks, screens, inflow pipes, production areas, or equipment, using hoses, brushes, scrapers, or chemical solutions. 

Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed. 

Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers. 

Install, maintain, or repair hoses, pumps, filters, or screens to maintain processing equipment, using hand tools. 

Connect pipes between vats and processing equipment. 

Assemble fittings, valves, bowls, plates, disks, impeller shafts, or other parts to prepare equipment for operation. 

Remove full containers from discharge outlets and replace them with empty containers.