Distillation operator vs chemical plant operations technician

The differences between distillation 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 distillation 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 $39,855 average annual salary of a distillation operator.

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

Distillation operator vs chemical plant operations technician overview

	Distillation Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Yearly salary	$39,855	$41,477
Hourly rate	$19.16	$19.94
Growth rate	7%	4%
Number of jobs	30,452	67,501
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Distillation operator vs chemical plant operations technician salary

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

	Distillation Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Average salary	$39,855	$41,477
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $59,000	Between $28,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between distillation operator and chemical plant operations technician education

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

	Distillation Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 26%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Electrical Engineering Technology
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	Stanford University

Distillation operator vs chemical plant operations technician demographics

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

	Distillation Operator	Chemical Plant Operations Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 59.4% 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 distillation operator and chemical plant operations technician duties and responsibilities

Distillation operator example responsibilities.

Help lead the rehabilitation of an idle distillation tower and bring it back to a fully functional operation.
Operate a cold gas distillation column converting waste gas into usable material by separating materials and reacting with caustic.
Conduct routine operating inspections of the unit, troubleshoot operational problems and respond to area emergencies or to changing operational situations.
Perform Lockout/tagout procedures to ensure ADM and contractors safety.
Conduct rig movements during drilling operations.

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.

Distillation operator vs chemical plant operations technician skills

Common distillation operator skills

Distillation, 63%
Hazardous Waste, 11%
Process Equipment, 7%
GC, 4%
RAN, 4%
PLC, 4%

Common chemical plant operations technician skills

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

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Distillation Operator
Distillation Operator vs Chemical Plant Operations Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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