Power operator vs refinery technician

The differences between power 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 $38,263 average annual salary of a power operator.

The top three skills for a power operator include pallets, control room and electrical systems. The most important skills for a refinery technician are minor maintenance, safety regulations, and LOTO.

Power operator vs refinery technician overview

	Power Operator	Refinery Technician
Yearly salary	$38,263	$51,694
Hourly rate	$18.40	$24.85
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	39,171	7,715
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Associate Degree, 38%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Power operator vs refinery technician salary

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

	Power Operator	Refinery Technician
Average salary	$38,263	$51,694
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $50,000	Between $39,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between power operator and refinery technician education

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

	Power Operator	Refinery Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Associate Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Industrial Technology
Most common college	-	-

Power operator vs refinery technician demographics

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

	Power Operator	Refinery Technician
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6%	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.2% 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 power operator and refinery technician duties and responsibilities

Power operator example responsibilities.

Manage an internal environmental information system and ensure compliance with EPA and RCRA regulations.
Operate heavy equipment, loaders, lifts, hand and power tools to complete skil tasks.
Adjust controls of water and cold feed systems, blowers and igniters to start up and shut down boilers.
Help electrical maintenance department troubleshoot motors and other electrical devices.
Identify parameters indicative of an emergency condition and initiate designated actions, execute terminal shutdown and start-up procedures upon approval.
Conduct rig movements during drilling operations.

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.

Power operator vs refinery technician skills

Common power operator skills

Pallets, 28%
Control Room, 19%
Electrical Systems, 9%
Water Treatment, 8%
Cooling Towers, 5%
HVAC, 4%

Common refinery technician skills

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