Chemical operator vs chemical plant operations technician

The differences between chemical operators and chemical plant operations technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chemical operator and a chemical plant operations technician. Additionally, a chemical plant operations technician has an average salary of $41,477, which is higher than the $40,526 average annual salary of a chemical operator.

The top three skills for a chemical operator include safety procedures, math and process equipment. The most important skills for a chemical plant operations technician are EPA, safety procedures, and control measures.

Chemical operator vs chemical plant operations technician overview

	Chemical Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Yearly salary	$40,526	$41,477
Hourly rate	$19.48	$19.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	36,522	67,501
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Chemical operator vs chemical plant operations technician salary

Chemical operators and chemical plant operations technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Average salary	$40,526	$41,477
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $51,000	Between $28,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	-
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between chemical operator and chemical plant operations technician education

There are a few differences between a chemical operator and a chemical plant operations technician in terms of educational background:

	Chemical Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering Technology
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Chemical operator vs chemical plant operations technician demographics

Here are the differences between chemical operators' and chemical plant operations technicians' demographics:

	Chemical Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 4.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.1% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between chemical operator and chemical plant operations technician duties and responsibilities

Chemical operator example responsibilities.

Manage multiple large volume fermentation tanks simultaneously.
Add dye to chemical to be mix.
Mix chemicals together to make a base for dye.
License by the NRC for operation of facility reactor.
Provide the QC lab with batch samples as instructed by formula cards for quality disposition.
Use Hmi's to control the product being make and sending it to storage tanks.

Chemical plant operations technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily production schedule, monitor machine operation, addressed any etching machinery problems.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Supervise HAZ-MAT response decontamination line during emergencies.

Chemical operator vs chemical plant operations technician skills

Common chemical operator skills

Safety Procedures, 8%
Math, 5%
Process Equipment, 5%
Basic Math, 4%
Minor Maintenance, 4%
Troubleshoot, 4%

Common chemical plant operations technician skills

EPA, 64%
Safety Procedures, 19%
Control Measures, 18%

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Chemical Operator
Chemical Operator vs Chemical Plant Operations Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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