Skip to main content
FG
FutureGrid
Back to Careers

Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders

Production · SOC 51-9192

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$43,530
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
2,800
Proj. Annual Openings
14,760
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-1.8%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 51-9192 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
52/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$43,530
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
2,800
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +3.6%.
Observed/proxy demand
FY— certified LCAs; 3,036 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringActive ListeningSpeakingCritical Thinking

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.7%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

15.6%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI10.5%
AI ability · AIOE36.4%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne81%

Top Skills

1.Operation and Control
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Active Listening
4.Speaking
5.Critical Thinking

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Operate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.

Common titles: Anodizer, Clean in Places Operator (CIP Operator), Filler Operator, Parts Cleaner, Sanitation Technician, Sanitation Worker

Representative Tasks

  • Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
  • Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
  • Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
  • Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
  • Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Apply solutions to production equipment.
  • Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
  • Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
  • Operate pumping systems or equipment.
  • Collect samples of materials or products for testing.

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
0.5%
Avg AI Exposure
1
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 51-9192: 2019 — employment: 16,410, median wage: $31,850; 2020 — employment: 14,060, median wage: $32,230; 2021 — employment: 13,580, median wage: $35,090; 2022 — employment: 13,200, median wage: $37,190; 2023 — employment: 15,210, median wage: $39,340; 2025 — employment: 14,760, median wage: $43,530.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%0.7%
OutlookAverage4% Bright
Median Salary$43,530N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A