About This Career

Operates or controls 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.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

• Signals other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
• Maintains and repairs equipment, or reports malfunctioning equipment to supervisors so that repairs can be scheduled.
• Monitors process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.
• Operates control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.
• Starts pumps and opens valves or uses automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.
• Verifies that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.
• Patrols units to monitor the amount of oil in storage tanks, and to verify that activities and operations are safe, efficient, and in compliance with regulations.
• Plans movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of system interconnections and capacities.
• Controls or operates manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.
• Operates auxiliary equipment and control multiple processing units during distilling or treating operations, moving controls that regulate valves, pumps, compressors, and auxiliary equipment.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work at heights above 8 feet more than once a month on structures such as ladders, poles, scaffolding, and catwalks

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work