• Read notes from forepersons to learn what happened on the previous shift. (1)
• Read standard operating procedures set forth by the company. (2)
• Read memos from management to stay informed of management priorities. (2)
• Read instruction sheets that accompany new products. (2)
• Read trade publications and magazines to keep informed of the latest products and trends. (2)
• Read updates to statistical process control (SPC) manuals when processes are changed. (3)
• Read Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) materials, including Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), to understand the chemical properties of the raw materials they are using. (3)

• Read product information labels to check the chemical composition of the products. (1)
• Read batch processing tickets which give the recipes for the various products produced. (1)
• Complete safety checklists. (1)
• Interpret sanitation logs and enter information in them. (2)
• Read work schedules posted in the plant which show the number of batches of specific products to be completed by certain dates. (2)
• Complete forms, such as maintenance request forms and production and process forms which are part of the quality assurance program. (2)
• Read tables, such as troubleshooting tables which are used when there are problems with product viscosity. The tables give differing catalyst to product ratios and the resulting viscosity. (3)
• Read graphs, such as graphs which illustrate waste water usage which are read to identify trends in patterns of use which may indicate a problem. (3)
• Refer to schematic drawings, such as those which show modifications to piping going to the kettle reactor. (3)

• Write reminder notes to themselves and co-workers. (1)
• Record work completed on daily batch forms and add information to test forms. (1)
• Record key events in a log book to inform other operators. Entries may be a paragraph or more in length. (2)
• Write up modifications which have been made to improve a product. (2)
• Write incident reports regarding failures of equipment or systems. (2)
• May write memos to supervisors requesting approval of an expenditure and justifying the expense. (2)
• May write minutes of team meetings. (2)
• May write revisions to sections of the company's standard operating procedures. (3)

• Weigh finished goods and waste materials. (1)
• Calculate the number of cases produced per line per shift. (2)

• Compare multiple readings of process control variables to earlier readings to ensure that all elements of the process remain within an acceptable range. (1)
• Monitor the yields of two presses over time to compare the yields and losses on the machines as part of statistical process control analysis. (3)

• Estimate the length of time it will take to complete a batch of a product. (2)

• Talk to delivery personnel to direct them to locations for unloading materials. (1)
• Interact with co-workers to co-ordinate work and to exchange information about batches of products. (2)
• Interact with supervisors to receive instructions and to inform them of work progress. (2)
• Communicate with suppliers to learn more about new products and raw materials. (2)
• May interact with managers and chemists involved in taking samples or performing other quality assurance functions in order to learn more about continuous improvement in processes. (2)
• May inform co-workers about the use of toxic materials and about the chemicals being pumped into a kettle reactor. Miscommunication could result in overfilling the kettle or exposing employees to hazardous materials. (2)
• May present information at weekly team meetings. (3)

• May encounter machine breakdowns. They attempt to undertake simple repairs themselves and call on mechanics to resolve more serious situations. (1)
• May have insufficient materials for a product run. They run other products in order to keep production going and take steps to expedite delivery of the missing materials. (2)
• May find that a batch does not meet specifications. They examine process control records to identify the problem and solve it by adjusting machine settings or adding catalysts or other chemicals. (2)
• May hear an alarm bell, indicating that there is a problem somewhere in the system. If the source of the problem is not immediately evident, they use trial and error troubleshooting until they locate it. (3)

• Decide whether to accept or reject raw materials damaged in shipment. (1)
• Decide what steps to take if the product does not reach the required thickness. (2)
• Decide whether to adjust machine settings and at what values they should be set. (2)
• Decide whether to shut down a machine while troubleshooting a problem. (2)
• Decide whether to send a batch sample to the lab for testing before releasing the batch. (2)
• Decide when it is the right time to add certain chemicals. The wrong decision can result in spoiled batches. (3)

Critical Thinking information was not collected for this profile.

Chemical plant machine operators' tasks are set by supervisors, with the workers themselves determining the most effective way to carry out the tasks. The order and priority of tasks is determined by the type and number of batches in production. Tasks are routine, with interruptions taking place from time to time to fix broken machines or to assess a defective batch. Co-ordination with other operators is required, as well as liaison with other departments, such as the maintenance and shipping departments. (3)

• Remember various chemical reactions that occurred when raw materials were of poor quality and what was done to rectify the situation.
• Remember previously used test procedures when considering how to test a particular product.
• Remember the different types of sounds which malfunctioning machines made in the past, when diagnosing the cause of a machine breakdown.
• Remember the sequence of operations required for batches of each kind of product.

• Read production sheets to find information on various production runs. (1)
• Consult suppliers to obtain information about products and materials, and contact chemists to inquire about chemical reactions. (2)
• Refer to a variety of manuals to find information, such as Statistical Process Control (SPC) manuals for information on quality assurance and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) manuals for information on the use and storage of chemicals. (2)

• Use other computer applications. For example, they may use a computerized console to monitor and control the production process. (1)
• They may write reports on product tests or minutes of team meetings. (2)
• They may maintain production data. (2)
• They may receive or send e-mail messages. (2)

Chemical plant machine operators mainly work independently, co-ordinating their work with other operators as needed. They may work with a partner to perform particular tasks, such as loading materials into kettles. All operators in the production area form a team and participate in team meetings to address operational problems.

Chemical plant machine operators take yearly safety courses and receive training in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). They also receive training in the use of new machinery introduced to the plant. They attend on-site courses in processing methods.