Control pumps or pumping equipment.

Control pumps or pumping equipment. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 11 occupations and seen in 20 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate pumping systems or equipment. in Controlling Machines and Processes .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 20 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks. · Bridge and Lock Tenders · importance 5.0 · no direct exposure
• Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures. · Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks. · Sailors and Marine Oilers · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves. · Ship Engineers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials. · Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Start compressor engines and divert oil from storage tanks into compressor units and auxiliary equipment to recover natural gas from oil. · Wellhead Pumpers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Manipulate controls, levers, and valves to start pumps, auxiliary equipment, or conveyors, and to adjust equipment positions, speeds, timing, and material flows. · Conveyor Operators and Tenders · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Pump water to clear machinery pipelines. · Dredge Operators · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Operate engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules, and to switch flow of oil into storage tanks. · Wellhead Pumpers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Respond to problems by adjusting control room equipment or instructing other personnel to adjust equipment at problem locations or in other control areas. · Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Adjust valves and equipment to obtain specified performance. · Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Move controls and turn valves to start compressor engines, pumps, and auxiliary equipment. · Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Open valves to return compressed gas to bottoms of specified wells to repressurize them and force oil to surface. · Wellhead Pumpers · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Operate power-driven pumps that transfer liquids, semi-liquids, gases, or powdered materials. · Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Activate fuel pumps and fill fuel tanks of vehicles with gasoline or diesel fuel to specified levels. · Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Pump two or more materials into one tank to blend mixtures. · Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Direct or assist workers placing shore anchors and cables, laying additional pipes from dredges to shore, and pumping water from pontoons. · Dredge Operators · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Turn knobs or switches to regulate pressures. · Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Turn valves or disconnect hoses to eliminate water, cleaning solutions, or vapors from machinery or tanks. · Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
• Turn valves or handles on equipment to regulate pressure or flow of water, air, steam, or abrasives from sprayer nozzles. · Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Bridge and Lock Tenders
• Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
• Sailors and Marine Oilers
• Ship Engineers
• Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
• Wellhead Pumpers
• Conveyor Operators and Tenders
• Dredge Operators
• Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
• Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment

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.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-control-pumps-or-pumping-equipment,
  title  = {Control pumps or pumping equipment.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/control-pumps-or-pumping-equipment}
}