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Assayer vs field laboratory operator

The differences between assayers and field laboratory operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an assayer and a field laboratory operator. Additionally, an assayer has an average salary of $66,011, which is higher than the $54,062 average annual salary of a field laboratory operator.

The top three skills for an assayer include sample prep, and . The most important skills for a field laboratory operator are lab equipment, chemistry, and safety regulations.

Assayer vs field laboratory operator overview

AssayerField Laboratory Operator
Yearly salary$66,011$54,062
Hourly rate$31.74$25.99
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs344109,087
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Assayer vs field laboratory operator salary

Assayers and field laboratory operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

AssayerField Laboratory Operator
Average salary$66,011$54,062
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $112,000Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between assayer and field laboratory operator education

There are a few differences between an assayer and a field laboratory operator in terms of educational background:

AssayerField Laboratory Operator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorChemistryBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaStanford University

Assayer vs field laboratory operator demographics

Here are the differences between assayers' and field laboratory operators' demographics:

AssayerField Laboratory Operator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 72.0% Female, 28.0%Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between assayer and field laboratory operator duties and responsibilities

Assayer example responsibilities.

  • Review analytical data for completeness and compliance with QC and client criteria.
  • Break lead (Pb) buttons out of molds.
  • Conduct several lab QC tests on mill streams.
  • Prepare and assay ore, solution, and carbon samples by fire, and atomic absorption.
  • Perfect sample digestion technique to increase sample recovery and decrease duplicate follow by metals analysis with Horiba Jobin Yvon ICP-OES analysis.
  • Maintain and calibrate lab and field equipment and document calibration to ensure equipment run optimal.

Field laboratory operator example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
  • Perform lab testing, including automatic titration, GC, and HPLC.
  • Develop and validate analytical methods for HPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis, and FT-IR.
  • Maintain and calibrate lab and field equipment and document calibration to ensure equipment run optimal.
  • Support laboratory quality control and safety initiatives and provide direct support to the microbiology, processing and emergency departments as needed.
  • Perform basic analyzer troubleshooting on centrifuge, label printers, and maintain quality controls on chemistry and hematology analyzer.

Assayer vs field laboratory operator skills

Common assayer skills
  • Sample Prep, 100%
Common field laboratory operator skills
  • Lab Equipment, 24%
  • Chemistry, 22%
  • Safety Regulations, 11%
  • Test Results, 5%
  • QC, 5%
  • DNA, 3%

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