Production · Holland code RC

Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.

Also called: Clean in Places Operator (CIP Operator), Sanitation Technician, Sanitation Worker, Sanitizer, Anodizer, Filler Operator, Parts Cleaner, Tub Wash Operator.

O*NET 51-9192.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $43,530; Middle half earn $37,310 to $49,320. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 60% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity.
Adjust, clean, and lubricate mechanical parts of machines, using hand tools and grease guns.
Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.
Record gauge readings, materials used, processing times, or test results in production logs.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening2.9 / 5
Speaking2.9 / 5
Critical Thinking2.9 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Writing2.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing3.9 / 5
English Language3.0 / 5
Public Safety and Security2.8 / 5
Psychology2.7 / 5
Education and Training2.5 / 5
Chemistry2.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative11
Artistic0
Social0
Enterprising0
Conventional57

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

tumbling machine operator · DE Rüttelscheuermaschinenbediener/Rüttelscheuermaschinenbedienerin · FR opérateur de tribofinition/opératrice de tribofinition
cacao beans cleaner · DE Kakaobohnenreinigungskraft · FR nettoyeur de fèves de cacao/nettoyeuse de fèves de cacao
clarifier · DE Mitarbeiter am Absetzbecken/Mitarbeiterin am Absetzbecken · FR opérateur de clarificateur/opératrice de clarificateur
refining machine operator · DE Raffinationsanlagenbediener/Raffinationsanlagenbedienerin · FR opérateur de machine à raffiner/opératrice de machine à raffiner
wash deinking operator · DE Fachkraft für Druckfarbenentfernung (Waschdeinking) · FR conducteur désencrage en industrie papetière/conductrice désencrage en industrie papetière

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (8111)129,900 employed
Paper and wood machine operatives (8131)21,500 employed
Metal making and treating process operatives (8115)11,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.14. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-9192).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test