According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards. | 91% |
| Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses. | 91% |
| Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps. | 91% |
| Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail. | 87% |
| Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages. | 87% |
| Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters. | 86% |
| Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing. | 86% |
| Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors. | 86% |
| Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets. | 84% |
| Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products. | 83% |
| Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials. | 83% |
| Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans. | 82% |
| Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment. | 81% |
| Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted. | 81% |
| Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses. | 80% |
| Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels. | 79% |
| Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools. | 78% |
| Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand. | 78% |
| Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing. | 76% |
| Dump sugar dust from collectors into melting tanks and add water to reclaim sugar lost during processing. | 73% |
