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Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders: Career Overview
Operate or tend equipment such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals.
What Tasks Do Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders span:
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
- Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
- Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
- Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
- Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
- Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
What Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Need to Know
Top cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Ammonia Refrigeration Worker
- Batch Freezer
- Batch Freezer Operator
- Brewery Cellar Worker
- Brewery Worker
- Cellar Person
- Certified Refrigeration Operator
- Chiller Operator
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 620,076 cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +2.4% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $62,214 |
| Hourly median | $29.91 |
| 10th percentile | $39,646 |
| 25th percentile | $50,930 |
| 75th percentile | $73,498 |
| 90th percentile | $84,782 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $58,200 |
| Michigan | $54,360 |
| Kansas | $51,640 |
| Florida | $50,960 |
| New Jersey | $50,790 |
| Iowa | $48,880 |
| Washington | $47,950 |
| Maryland | $47,940 |
| Missouri | $47,780 |
| Colorado | $47,440 |
| Nebraska | $46,810 |
| New York | $44,490 |
| South Dakota | $44,090 |
| Georgia | $43,720 |
| Minnesota | $43,520 |
| Indiana | $42,800 |
| Ohio | $42,470 |
| Nevada | $42,390 |
| Massachusetts | $41,560 |
| California | $40,590 |
| Connecticut | $40,290 |
| Kentucky | $39,550 |
| Oklahoma | $39,060 |
| Oregon | $38,770 |
| South Carolina | $38,740 |
| Virginia | $38,460 |
| Hawaii | $37,820 |
| North Carolina | $37,660 |
| Alabama | $37,220 |
| Tennessee | $37,160 |
| Mississippi | $37,030 |
| Arkansas | $36,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,460 |
| Texas | $34,970 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes | $48,999 | 9.8% | 0.84 |
| Plains States | $48,175 | 16.7% | 2.78 |
| Rocky Mountains | $47,440 | 1.1% | 0.50 |
| Middle Atlantic | $46,460 | 5.6% | 0.46 |
| Far Western US | $40,794 | 15.2% | 1.01 |
| New England | $40,680 | 2.4% | 0.95 |
| Southeast | $39,282 | 40.7% | 3.36 |
| Southwest | $36,125 | 8.5% | 0.89 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | TX | $63,780 | 40 |
| Lancaster, PA | PA | $52,660 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $49,880 | |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $49,010 | 100 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $47,940 | 60 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | IA | $47,020 | 70 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $45,760 | 170 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | NV | $42,390 | 30 |
Top Industries Employing Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
The largest employers of cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,540 | $39,780 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 430 | $43,930 |
| Wholesale Trade | 240 | $45,370 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 130 | $37,950 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 60 | n/a |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 50 | $47,340 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Spend Time Standing
Getting Started in This Career
Most cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
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- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders (Primary-Short)
- Food Batchmakers (Primary-Long)
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders (Primary-Long)
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders (Primary-Long)
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Supplemental)
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (Primary-Short)
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-9193.00 (Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders).
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