Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
Medium61.86%
Found in Industries:
Salary Range
Low (10th %)$36,290
Median$54,690
High (90th %)$85,430
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Tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.
The occupation "Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers" carries an automation risk of 61.9%, closely aligning with its base risk estimate of 62.5%. This significant risk level arises primarily from the highly routine and process-driven aspects of the job. Many core tasks—the top three being monitoring gauges and flowmeters, recording operating data, and planning product movement through pipelines—are heavily reliant on data observation, logging, and decision-making based on set parameters. These functions can be efficiently handled by modern automation solutions such as sensors, computerized monitoring systems, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which can monitor operations continuously and report abnormalities faster and more reliably than human workers. Despite these at-risk facets, there are elements of the pump operator role that are notably resistant to automation, helping to moderate the overall risk. The most automation-resistant tasks include blending two or more materials in precise ways, physically collecting and delivering sample solutions for laboratory analysis, and manually adding chemicals to tanks to meet necessary specifications. These activities often demand a combination of human judgment, manual dexterity, and adaptability to nuanced situations that current automation technologies struggle to replicate. For instance, ensuring the correct blending of materials or responding to unexpected variations in a blend may require on-the-spot decision-making and adjustments that go beyond routine instructions. A significant factor constraining the full automation of this occupation is the reliance on bottleneck skills like originality, albeit at low levels (2.1% and 2.0%). While the percentage may seem minor, even this limited requirement for novel problem-solving and adaptive thinking is challenging for automated systems. Originality in this context may involve troubleshooting unforeseen operational issues or devising new solutions to fluid control challenges. Consequently, as long as the occupation continues to require even modest levels of creative thinking and adaptability, complete automation is likely to remain just out of reach, sustaining opportunities for human workers amidst ongoing technological advancements.
Filter by Automatable Status
Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
Automatable
Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
Partially Automatable
Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
Automatable
Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
Partially Automatable
Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools.
Non-Automatable
Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.
Automatable
Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.
Non-Automatable
Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped.
Automatable
Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment.
Partially Automatable
Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met.
Automatable
Collect and deliver sample solutions for laboratory analysis.
Non-Automatable
Pump two or more materials into one tank to blend mixtures.
Automatable
Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
Partially Automatable
Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers.
Partially Automatable
Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningActive LearningLearning StrategiesComplex Problem SolvingInstallationEquipment MaintenanceQuality Control AnalysisSystems EvaluationManagement of Material ResourcesWritingSpeakingMathematicsScienceCritical ThinkingMonitoringSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationPersuasionNegotiationInstructingService OrientationOperations AnalysisTechnology DesignEquipment SelectionProgrammingOperations MonitoringOperation and ControlTroubleshootingRepairingJudgment and Decision MakingSystems AnalysisTime ManagementManagement of Financial ResourcesManagement of Personnel Resources
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Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationGetting InformationJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeopleProcessing InformationEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsAnalyzing Data or InformationMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsThinking CreativelyUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesScheduling Work and ActivitiesOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkPerforming General Physical ActivitiesHandling and Moving ObjectsControlling Machines and ProcessesOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentWorking with ComputersDocumenting/Recording InformationInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsAssisting and Caring for OthersSelling or Influencing OthersResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersDeveloping and Building TeamsTraining and Teaching OthersGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesCoaching and Developing OthersProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersPerforming Administrative ActivitiesStaffing Organizational UnitsMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesRepairing and Maintaining Electronic EquipmentRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical EquipmentDrafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
Operational databasesSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADA softwareMicrosoft OutlookOperational databasesMicrosoft WordComputerized maintenance management system CMMSMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADA softwareComputerized maintenance management system CMMSMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft Word
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
Low25.86%
Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
Medium38.98%
Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
Low30.04%
Install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors.
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Medium49.31%
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Maintenance Workers, Machinery
Low32.98%
Lubricate machinery, change parts, or perform other routine machinery maintenance.
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
Medium56.08%
Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel.
Power Plant Operators
Medium52.63%
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Biomass Plant Technicians
Medium53.51%
Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed.
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Medium43.49%
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.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
Medium52.51%
Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.
Chemical Plant and System Operators
Medium58.58%
Control or operate entire chemical processes or system of machines.
Gas Plant Operators
Medium63.67%
Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Medium54.55%
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Medium53.74%
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.
Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Medium48.23%
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.
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
Medium51.07%
Operate or tend heating equipment other than basic metal, plastic, or food processing equipment. Includes activities such as annealing glass, drying lumber, curing rubber, removing moisture from materials, or boiling soap.
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
High69.86%
Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
Medium49.42%
Operate steam-, gas-, electric motor-, or internal combustion-engine driven compressors. Transmit, compress, or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and natural gas.
Wellhead Pumpers
Medium33.60%
Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Medium44.23%
Load and unload chemicals and bulk solids, such as coal, sand, and grain, into or from tank cars, trucks, or ships, using material moving equipment. May perform a variety of other tasks relating to shipment of products. May gauge or sample shipping tanks and test them for leaks.
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
Low29.66%
Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.
Meter Readers, Utilities
High70.08%
Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
Low26.46%
Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures.
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Medium38.89%
Service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories. Collect payment for services and supplies. May lubricate vehicle, change motor oil, refill antifreeze, or replace lights or other accessories, such as windshield wiper blades or fan belts. May repair or replace tires.
Dredge Operators
Medium53.66%
Operate dredge to remove sand, gravel, or other materials in order to excavate and maintain navigable channels in waterways.
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
Medium33.55%
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment. Use such materials as water, cleaning agents, brushes, cloths, and hoses.