job description: chemical plant operator

raw materials : matière première

Whether the product is photographic film, pesticides, prescription drugs or food, the chances are that it uses one of the fifty thousand different chemical substances manufactured by workers in the chemical industry.

Operating from a control booth, chemical plant and systems operators use gauges and computer read-outs to monitor and control the entire production process. They make sure that chemicals are mixed in the correct ratios and that reaction rates, temperatures and many other variables are on target.

However, this is not nearly as routine as it sounds.

Chemistry is based in science, but on the industrial scale, it is still an art, and like all artists, chemical plant and systems operators must know everything about their materials, and how they will react under various conditions. After all, not every batch of raw materials received is uniformly pure, and moisture content can vary from the weather.

These, and dozens of of other factors can affect any chemical process.

Computers can help, but in the end, it is the experience, skill and seasoned judgement of chemical plant and systems operators that ensure the uniform quality of the product.