Production · Holland code RC

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment; filter presses; shaker screens; centrifuges; condenser tubes; precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks; scrubbing towers; or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. Includes dairy processing equipment operators.

Also called: Blender, Cellar Worker, Machine Tender, Pasteurizer, Brewer, Digester Cook, Paper Machine Tender, Plant Operator.

O*NET 51-9012.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $51,610; Middle half earn $44,410 to $63,930. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
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.

Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions.
Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks.
Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.
Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.
Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations.
Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers.
Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases.
Communicate processing instructions to other workers.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.1 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
Active Listening3.0 / 5
Writing2.9 / 5
Speaking2.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Production and Processing4.2 / 5
English Language3.5 / 5
Food Production3.5 / 5
Education and Training3.5 / 5
Mechanical3.4 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 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.

Realistic88
Investigative22
Artistic0
Social2
Enterprising2
Conventional58

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)

pulp control operator · DE Steuerer von Zellstoffanlagen/Steuerin von Zellstoffanlagen · FR conducteur d’installations de pâte à papier/conductrice d’installations de pâte à papier
distillation operator · DE Erdölraffinierer/Erdölraffiniererin · FR opérateur de conduite en raffinerie/opératrice de conduite en raffinerie
fermenter operator · DE Pharmatechnologe/Pharmatechnologin · FR opérateur de production fermentation/opératrice de production fermentation
cellar operator · DE Gärkellerbetreiber/Gärkellerbetreiberin · FR opérateur de fermentation/opératrice de fermentation
centrifuge operator · DE Zentrifugenbediener/Zentrifugenbedienerin · FR opérateur de centrifugeuse/opératrice de centrifugeuse
cider fermentation operator · DE Apfelweinproduktionsmitarbeiter/Apfelweinproduktionsmitarbeiterin · FR opérateur en fermentation du cidre/opératrice en fermentation du cidre

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Planning, process and production technicians (3116)22,500 employed
Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (8111)129,900 employed
Chemical and related process operatives (8113)34,100 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 -0.94. 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 (51-9012).

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.

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