Control room operator vs refinery technician

The differences between control room operators and refinery technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a refinery technician has an average salary of $51,694, which is higher than the $43,733 average annual salary of a control room operator.

The top three skills for a control room operator include control room operations, plant operations and safety procedures. The most important skills for a refinery technician are minor maintenance, safety regulations, and LOTO.

Control room operator vs refinery technician overview

	Control Room Operator	Refinery Technician
Yearly salary	$43,733	$51,694
Hourly rate	$21.03	$24.85
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	89,096	7,715
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Associate Degree, 38%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Control room operator vs refinery technician salary

Control room operators and refinery technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Control Room Operator	Refinery Technician
Average salary	$43,733	$51,694
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $62,000	Between $39,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Commerce City, CO	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	California Resources	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between control room operator and refinery technician education

There are a few differences between a control room operator and a refinery technician in terms of educational background:

	Control Room Operator	Refinery Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Associate Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Industrial Technology
Most common college	-	-

Control room operator vs refinery technician demographics

Here are the differences between control room operators' and refinery technicians' demographics:

	Control Room Operator	Refinery Technician
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 1.5% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between control room operator and refinery technician duties and responsibilities

Control room operator example responsibilities.

Lead and manage the redesign of system SCADA schematic's, revise system load calculations and regional load shedding programs.
Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Perform inspections of area by accessing ladders and stairwells.
Run coating machine Pre-QC boards before sending to QC.
Serve a lead producer; direct crew to ensure show run smoothly.
Operate support utilities, including cascade HVAC, power distribution, and emergency generators.

Refinery technician example responsibilities.

Manage, develop, and execute department clearances (LO/TO).
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Experience with Maximo and other computer systems.
Monitor and adjust units from the DCS and SCADA.
Perform distillation, absorption, extraction, adsorption, thermal and reforming.
Operate Plc computers and high pressure boilers, as well as forklift panel.

Control room operator vs refinery technician skills

Common control room operator skills

Control Room Operations, 8%
Plant Operations, 7%
Safety Procedures, 7%
Plant Equipment, 6%
Ladders, 6%
Emergency Situations, 6%

Common refinery technician skills

Minor Maintenance, 46%
Safety Regulations, 19%
LOTO, 8%
Cooling Towers, 6%
Plant Equipment, 6%
Hazardous Chemicals, 4%

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Control Room Operator
Control Room Operator vs Refinery Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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