Home / Tasks / Inspect production equipment
In 10 of the 22 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 12, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 18m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 1.7 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
12No evidence yet
10Robots
Every job that does this
Each job words the task its own way. Minutes are that job's estimate for a typical shift; the label is the evidence for that job's version.
| Job and its version of the task | Per shift | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Plant OperatorsMonitor equipment functioning, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure that all equipment is operating as it should. | 1h 34m | Robots |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsInspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions. | 1h 23m | Robots |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler OperatorsMonitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely. | 54m | Robots |
| Chemical Plant and System OperatorsInspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency. | 50m | Robots |
| Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersExamine looms to determine causes of loom stoppage, such as warp filling, harness breaks, or mechanical defects. | 34m | No evidence yet |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersInspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions. | 32m | No evidence yet |
| Metal Pourers and CastersExamine molds to ensure they are clean, smooth, and properly coated. | 30m | No evidence yet |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and TendersInspect furnaces and equipment to locate defects and wear. | 29m | Robots |
| Semiconductor Processing TechniciansInspect equipment for leaks, diagnose malfunctions, and request repairs. | 24m | Robots |
| Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersInspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions, shutting equipment down, if necessary. | 22m | Robots |
| Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersInspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks. | 18m | Robots |
| Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and TendersExamine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions. | 17m | No evidence yet |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersInspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticTest and adjust machine speeds or actions, according to product specifications, using gauges and hand tools. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and TendersInspect machinery to determine necessary adjustments and repairs. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersInspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersInspect chains, belts, or scrolls for signs of wear. | 11m | Robots |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and GaugersInspect pipelines, tightening connections and lubricating valves as necessary. | 11m | No evidence yet |
| Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsCheck all dies, templates, and cutout patterns to be used in the manufacturing process to ensure that they conform to dimensional data, photographs, blueprints, samples, or customer specifications. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Food BatchmakersInspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Power Distributors and DispatchersInspect equipment to ensure that specifications are met or to detect any defects. | 6m | Robots |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersInspect pulleys, drive belts, guards, or fences on machines to ensure that machines will operate safely. | 6m | No evidence yet |
How to read this
This task type comes from O*NET's detailed work activities, which link similar tasks across jobs. A label applies to one job's version of the task: AI use comes from real AI conversations (Anthropic Economic Index) and robot evidence from deployments in real workplaces. "No evidence yet" may just mean the task is rare in the data. How we keep time.
See all 250 shared tasks, or find any job on the big clock.