High pressure operator vs air plant engineer

The differences between high pressure operators and air plant engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a high pressure operator and an air plant engineer. Additionally, an air plant engineer has an average salary of $83,066, which is higher than the $40,243 average annual salary of a high pressure operator.

The top three skills for a high pressure operator include inventory control, troubleshoot and HVAC. The most important skills for an air plant engineer are EPA, title v, and .

High pressure operator vs air plant engineer overview

	High Pressure Operator	Air Plant Engineer
Yearly salary	$40,243	$83,066
Hourly rate	$19.35	$39.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	33,575	11,579
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

High pressure operator vs air plant engineer salary

High pressure operators and air plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	High Pressure Operator	Air Plant Engineer
Average salary	$40,243	$83,066
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $52,000	Between $53,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City	-	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	InterDigital
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between high pressure operator and air plant engineer education

There are a few differences between a high pressure operator and an air plant engineer in terms of educational background:

	High Pressure Operator	Air Plant Engineer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Communication
Most common college	-	-

High pressure operator vs air plant engineer demographics

Here are the differences between high pressure operators' and air plant engineers' demographics:

	High Pressure Operator	Air Plant Engineer
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6%	Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between high pressure operator and air plant engineer duties and responsibilities

High pressure operator example responsibilities.

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Perform shift operations on a high pressure boiler and alcohol distillation plant on a part-time, on-call, and casual basis.
Operate a continuous recovery distillation process.
Operate 600 ton anhydrous ammonia refrigeration system.

Air plant engineer example responsibilities.

Manage and provide training to a multicultural maintenance team using TPM principles and following standards such as AIB and BRC.
Draft monthly operation reports used for environmental and NERC compliance.
Host radio show as a DJ on Sunday afternoons and weekday overnights.
Perform maintenance on air compressor, air dryers, feed water and condensate pumps and sodium zeolite softeners.
Maintain, clean and rebuild plant equipment such as air compressors, air dryers, pumps, water towers, etc.
Prepare and review project drawings/specifications to ensure compliance with OSHA environmental/quality standards, and federal, state and local environmental laws.

High pressure operator vs air plant engineer skills

Common high pressure operator skills

Inventory Control, 23%
Troubleshoot, 20%
HVAC, 8%
Log Book, 8%
OSHA, 8%
Equipment Operation, 8%

Common air plant engineer skills

EPA, 59%
Title V, 41%

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High Pressure Operator
High Pressure Operator vs Air Plant Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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