Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
ManufacturingO*NET 51-9193.00United States
Operate or tend equipment such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals.
- Median annual earnings
- $41,104
- Projected change
- +9%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 8.35K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
58.8% of the workforce
Growing to 9.1K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
- Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
- Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
- Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
- Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
- Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $32,544
- 25th percentile
- $35,739
- 50th percentile
- $41,104
- 75th percentile
- $49,886
- 90th percentile
- $63,597
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $41,104 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+9%faster than average
20258,347 jobs
2035 projected9,098 jobs
751 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 58.8%
- Certificate
- 40.8%
- Some college
- 0.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Freezer Managers64 postings
- 02Filling Operators10 postings
- 03Motor Grader Operators3 postings
- 04Hi Lo Operators2 postings
- 05Machine Operators1 postings
- 06Machinery Operators1 postings
- 07Replenishment Managers1 postings
Top employers
- 01U.n.f.i8 postings
- 02Wells Enterprises5 postings
- 03Tyson Foods4 postings
- 04Walmart4 postings
- 05Baldor Professional Services3 postings
- 06Darling Ingredients3 postings
- 07Darling International Incorporated3 postings
- 08Hanover Foods Corporation3 postings
- 09Baldor Specialty Foods2 postings
- 10Cargill2 postings
- 11Simmons Foods2 postings
- 12Simmons Prepared Foods2 postings
- 13Turkey Hill Dairy2 postings
- 14Tyson Sales and Distribution2 postings
- 158583 Ecr 4001 postings
- 16Adecco1 postings
- 17At Ramar1 postings
- 18Blount Fine Foods1 postings
- 19Brown Foodservice1 postings
- 20Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania1 postings
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