Process equipment operator vs assistant operator

The differences between process equipment operators and assistant operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant operator has an average salary of $37,607, which is higher than the $34,376 average annual salary of a process equipment operator.

The top three skills for a process equipment operator include medical equipment, loaders and CNC. The most important skills for an assistant operator are customer service, ladders, and safety procedures.

Process equipment operator vs assistant operator overview

	Process Equipment Operator	Assistant Operator
Yearly salary	$34,376	$37,607
Hourly rate	$16.53	$18.08
Growth rate	-6%	-8%
Number of jobs	82,286	88,093
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	47	50
Years of experience	-	2

Process equipment operator vs assistant operator salary

Process equipment operators and assistant operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Equipment Operator	Assistant Operator
Average salary	$34,376	$37,607
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $28,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between process equipment operator and assistant operator education

There are a few differences between a process equipment operator and an assistant operator in terms of educational background:

	Process Equipment Operator	Assistant Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Process equipment operator vs assistant operator demographics

Here are the differences between process equipment operators' and assistant operators' demographics:

	Process Equipment Operator	Assistant Operator
Average age	47	50
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 76.8% Female, 23.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 11.8% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	6%

Differences between process equipment operator and assistant operator duties and responsibilities

Process equipment operator example responsibilities.

Manage production of high quality sugar make through GMP, SQF, and HACCP processes.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Assist in the ongoing development of implementation of ISO manuals.
Sanitize machines at specify intervals, record all chemical titration and protect productintegrity.
Move to the assembly department building electrical panels, installing electrical panels, installing various electrical devices on new centrifuges.
Overlook daily operations of single/twin screw extruders and packaging of finish product.

Assistant operator example responsibilities.

Manage proper removal and allocation for full yarn spindles.
Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Maintain current MSHA training requirements.
Coordinate special movement of ISO tanks.
Certify in MSHA hard-rock mine safety.
Maintain spinning/winding machines by putting idle spindles and cones back into production.

Process equipment operator vs assistant operator skills

Common process equipment operator skills

Medical Equipment, 29%
Loaders, 15%
CNC, 14%
Quality Checks, 10%
Safety Policies, 9%
RF, 6%

Common assistant operator skills

Customer Service, 28%
Ladders, 11%
Safety Procedures, 9%
Safety Committee, 6%
Quality Checks, 6%
PPE, 5%

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Process Equipment Operator
Process Equipment Operator vs Assistant Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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