Production
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. Equipment used includes devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.
Also called: Chemical Operator (Chemical Tech), Chemical Process Operator, Chemical Reactor Operator, Chlorination Operator, Multiskill Operator, Outside Operator
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $57,370
- $27.58/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,820
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +3.1%
- 310 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,530 | $47,590 | $57,370 | $64,160 | $77,700 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions.
- Patrol work areas to detect leaks or equipment malfunctions or to monitor operating conditions.
- Monitor gauges, recording instruments, flowmeters, or products to ensure that specified conditions are maintained.
- Inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary.
- Record operational data, such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times, or test results.
- Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure26 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 33
- Language-model AIOE 28
- GPTs-are-GPTs 16
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with watching gauges and flowmeters and with recording temperatures, pressures, and processing times. Patrolling for leaks, inspecting equipment, shutting it down, and following safety rules to prevent fires or explosions are physical, in-person work.
Likely to change
- Monitoring gauges and flowmeters
- Recording temperatures, pressures, and processing times
Still relies on people
- Patrolling to find leaks and malfunctions
- Safety decisions, including shutting equipment down
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
Spotting leaks and malfunctions carries over to repairing industrial machinery. Boston median pay is $75,200, with 17.1% projected growth.
- Pay difference
- +$17,830 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +17.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
Careful record-keeping and gauge and valve knowledge carry over to repairing control devices and valves. Boston median pay is $95,520.
- Pay difference
- +$38,150 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +4.8%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Inspecting equipment and diagnosing problems carries over to general maintenance work. It offers moderate-term on-the-job training and 5.2% projected growth.
- Pay difference
- +$2,300 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.2%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
- Chemical Plant and System Operators
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
- Power Plant Operators
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach