Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
• Collect and deliver sample solutions for laboratory analysis.
• Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
• Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
• Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools.
• Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met.
• Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.
• Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers.
• Pump two or more materials into one tank to blend mixtures.
• Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.
• Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
• Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped.
• Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
• Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped.
• Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment.
• Collect and deliver sample solutions for laboratory analysis.
• Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.
• Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
• Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.

Skills

• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

Abilities

• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

Knowledge

• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

84010/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

40.39/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

20

Yearly Projected Openings

0

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Independence
• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Achievement/Effort
• Analytical Thinking

Tools

• Adjustable wrenches
• Air compressors
• Air manifolds
• Chilling units or cold water circulators
• Concrete pump truck
• Conventional truck cranes
• Cryogenic pumps
• Densitometers
• Depth indicators
• Dump trucks
• Fire pump sets
• Flowmeters
• Forklifts
• Gas generators
• Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus
• Goggles
• Hammers
• Hard hats
• Hydraulic truck cranes
• Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
• Logging instruments for water wells
• Microcontrollers
• Personal computers
• Pneumatic hammer
• Power drills
• Pressure gauge
• Safety boots
• Sewage pumps
• Single gas monitors
• Telemetry systems
• Turbine pumps
• Two way radios
• Water meters
• Water pumps
• Water storage tanks

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Facilities management software
• Industrial control software
• Office suite software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software