Petroleum, gas and chemical process operators

NOC

93101

- Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing

monitor and operate equipment and processing units in petroleum, petrochemical and chemical plants.

Full NOC Description

Central control and process operators in petroleum, gas and chemical processing monitor and operate petroleum, petrochemical and chemical plants and monitor, adjust and maintain processing units and equipment in these plants. They are employed by petroleum and natural gas processing, pipeline and petrochemical companies and industrial, agricultural and specialty chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Operate electronic or computerized control panel from a central control room to monitor and optimize physical and chemical processes for several processing units

Control process start-up, shut-down and troubleshooting

Monitor outside process equipment

Adjust equipment, valves, pumps and controls and process equipment

Authorize or co-sign maintenance work orders

Shut down, isolate and prepare process units or production equipment for maintenance

Sample products, perform tests, record data, carry out statistical process control on process operations, and write production logs

Develop operating procedures for normal operation, start-up or shut-down of unit

Participate in safety audits and programs and provide emergency response when required

Ensure adherence to safety and environmental regulations

May rotate between different processing units during shift cycles

May work in a team with shared supervisory responsibilities and participate in training other workers

May be cross-trained in a skilled trade and work in the trade during shift cycles.

Also Known As

acid plant operator
chemical process operator
chemical processing chief technician
chlor-alkali plant cell room operator
gas field production operator

gas plant operator

gas recovery operator

master operator - chemical processing

oil refinery process operator

panel operator - chemical processing

petroleum process operator

pharmaceutical processing operator

pipeline compressor station operator

process technician - chemical processing

refinery process technician

Requirements

Employment Requirements

Completion of secondary school is required. Mathematics, chemistry and physics subjects are often specified.

A college diploma in process operation, sciences or a related subject may be required for some positions.

Petroleum and chemical process operators and process technicians require completion of several years of formal company training.

Experience as a petroleum or chemical process operator in all the operating units controlled by the central control room is required for chief operators.

Company certification as a petroleum process operator or technician may be required.

A provincial power engineer licence, compressor operator or refrigeration certificate may be required when certain kinds of equipment are included in the process.

Certification in the transportation of dangerous goods (TDG), first aid, firefighting, or workplace hazardous materials information system (WHMIS) may be required.

Provincial Regulation

Not Provincially Regulated

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

12.9%

Female

87.1%

Male

Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

3.2%

15-24

25.8%

25-34

33.3%

35-44

31.2%

45-54

4.3%

55-64

2.2%

65+

Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

1.1%

No Certificate, Diploma or Degree

20.2%

High School, Diploma or Equivalent

10.6%

Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma

58.5%

College or University Below Bachelor Level

9.6%

University - Bachelor Level or Above

Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

49.5%

Manufacturing

19.4%

Wholesale trade

11.8%

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

19.4%

All Other Industries

Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

4.30%

Northeast

7.50%

Southeast

79.60%

Southwest

6.50%

Central

N/A

Northwest

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$100,000

Northeast

$80,000

Southeast

$104,800

Southwest

N/A

Central

N/A

Northwest

Economic Regions

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

No Data Available

Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Occupational Profiles