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Monitor equipment operation

Work activity · O*NET

Monitor equipment operation is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings. 99 occupations report doing it as part of their work.

What it involves

The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.

  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning
  • Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions
  • Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed
  • Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions
  • Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation
  • Observe equipment in operation to detect potential problems
  • Monitor engine operation or functioning
  • Monitor medical equipment to ensure proper functioning

How AI is applied to this activity

Microsoft's "Working with AI" study mapped real Bing Copilot conversations to O*NET work activities. The figures below are their measurements for this activity — they describe how AI is used today in one assistant's data, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.

AI completes it successfully 100.0% When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task
Scope AI handles 12.1% How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation
Positive user feedback 73.3% Share of interactions users rated positively
How often AI is applied here 29th pct Percentile across all measured activities by how often AI performs them

Source: Microsoft "Working with AI" (working-with-ai). A high completion rate means AI can assist the activity in isolation — it does not mean an occupation that performs it is being automated, since every job blends many activities.

Detailed work activities

The more granular units of work O*NET groups under this activity, ordered by how many occupations perform them.

Occupations that perform this activity

Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.

Occupation Tasks
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 4
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators 4
Biomass Power Plant Managers 3
Broadcast Technicians 3
Chemical Plant and System Operators 3
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators 3
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 3
Medical Equipment Preparers 3
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators 3
Power Plant Operators 3
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers 3
Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 3
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders 2
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers 2
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels 2
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians 2
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 2
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 2
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders 2
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers 2
Food Batchmakers 2
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders 2
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders 2
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators 2
Gas Plant Operators 2
Geothermal Production Managers 2
Home Appliance Repairers 2
Machinists 2
Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders 2
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 2
Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians 2
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 2
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 2
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers 2
Ship Engineers 2
Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders 2
Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 2
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 2
Wellhead Pumpers 2
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 1

Showing 40 of 99 occupations.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 40 occupations in occupations that perform Monitor equipment operation.. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Wellhead Pumpers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers Ship Engineers Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians Gas Plant Operators Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Nuclear Power Reactor Operators Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators Broadcast Technicians AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
Occupations that perform Monitor equipment operation., by AI task-overlap and median pay

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Monitor equipment operation." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activities/monitor-equipment-operation

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Monitor equipment operation. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/monitor-equipment-operation

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-monitor-equipment-operation,
  title  = {Monitor equipment operation},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/activities/monitor-equipment-operation}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.