Lubricate production equipment.
Detailed work activity
Lubricate production equipment. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 25 occupations and seen in 26 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Maintain tools or equipment. in Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment .
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 26 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.
- Lubricate, clean, or make minor repairs to machine parts to keep machines in working condition. · Print Binding and Finishing Workers · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
- Clean, oil, and make minor adjustments or repairs to machinery and equipment, such as opening valves or setting guides. · Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
- Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration. · Power Plant Operators · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
- Clean or oil presses or make minor repairs, using hand tools. · Printing Press Operators · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
- Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts. · Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
- Clean machine filters, and lubricate equipment. · Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
- Clean and lubricate machines. · Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
- Change oil, hydraulic fluid, or other lubricants to maintain condition of hydroelectric plant equipment. · Hydroelectric Plant Technicians · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
- Clean and lubricate boilers and auxiliary equipment and make minor adjustments as needed, using hand tools. · Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
- Adjust, clean, and lubricate mechanical parts of machines, using hand tools and grease guns. · Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
- Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oil cans, or grease guns. · Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
- Perform minor machine maintenance, such as oiling or cleaning machines, dies, or workpieces, or adding coolant to machine reservoirs. · Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
- Clean, lubricate, maintain, and adjust equipment to maintain efficient operation, using air hoses, cleaning fluids, and hand tools. · Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Lubricate or clean machines, using wrenches, grease guns, or solvents. · Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Make minor repairs, lubricate, and maintain equipment, using hand tools. · Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Clean, inspect, or lubricate recyclable collection equipment or perform routine maintenance or minor repairs on recycling equipment, such as star gears, finger sorters, destoners, belts, and grinders. · Recycling and Reclamation Workers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools. · Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Clean and lubricate cutting machines, conveyors, blades, saws, or knives, using steam hoses, scrapers, brushes, or oil cans. · Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
- Perform maintenance work such as cleaning and oiling machines. · Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
- Clean and lubricate equipment. · Helpers--Production Workers · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
- Inspect pipelines, tightening connections and lubricating valves as necessary. · Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
- Grease or oil woodworking machines. · Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
- Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns. · Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
- Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns. · Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
- Perform equipment maintenance, such as cleaning tanks and lubricating moving parts of conveyors. · Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · importance 3.4 · no direct exposure
- Clean, lubricate, and adjust equipment, using scrapers, solvents, air hoses, oil, and hand tools. · Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders · importance 3.3 · no direct exposure
Occupations that perform this
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
- Power Plant Operators
- Printing Press Operators
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
- Helpers--Production Workers
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
- Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
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.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Lubricate production equipment.." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/lubricate-production-equipment
Singulariki. (2026). Lubricate production equipment.. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/lubricate-production-equipment
@misc{singulariki-lubricate-production-equipment,
title = {Lubricate production 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/lubricate-production-equipment}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.