Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called Coffee Roaster, Machine Operator, Roaster, or Roasterman
What Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders do
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.
Who tends to enjoy it
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Leading
People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Operations Monitoring
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
What you'll need to know
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Food Production
- Mathematics
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 51-3091.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.