Food / Tobacco Roasting / Baking / Drying Machine Operator / Tender

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Bean Roaster; Coffee Roaster; Line Operator; Machine Operator; Oven Operator; Oven Technician; Roast Master; Roaster; Roaster Operator; Roasterman

Tasks

• Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
• Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
• Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
• Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
• Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
• Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
• Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
• Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
• Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
• Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.

Knowledge

• Production and Processing
• English Language
• Food Production
• Public Safety and Security

Skills

• Monitoring
• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Speaking

Abilities

• Near Vision
• Problem Sensitivity
• Oral Comprehension
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Perceptual Speed
• Selective Attention
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Control Precision
• Speech Recognition
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Flexibility of Closure
• Manual Dexterity
• Finger Dexterity
• Multilimb Coordination
• Rate Control
• Trunk Strength
• Visual Color Discrimination
• Hearing Sensitivity
• Auditory Attention
• Speech Clarity