Maintain plumbing structures or fixtures.

Maintain plumbing structures or fixtures. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 6 occupations and seen in 10 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Maintain facilities or equipment. in Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical 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 10 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.

• Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches. · Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems. · Pipelayers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures. · Highway Maintenance Workers · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Perform rough-ins, repair and replace fixtures and water heaters, and locate, repair, or remove leaking or broken pipes. · Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins. · Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Modify, clean, or maintain pipe systems, units, fittings, or related machines or equipment, using hand or power tools. · Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Maintain or repair plumbing by replacing defective washers, replacing or mending broken pipes, or opening clogged drains. · Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · importance 3.6 · no direct exposure
• Cut damaged sections of pipe with cutters, remove broken sections from ditches, and replace pipe sections, using pipe sleeves. · Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners · importance 3.4 · no direct exposure
• Clean and renew steam traps. · Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · importance 3.1 · no direct exposure
• Empty aircraft lavatory systems or refill them with sanitizer fluid. · Aircraft Service Attendants · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Pipelayers
• Highway Maintenance Workers
• Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
• Aircraft Service Attendants

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-maintain-plumbing-structures-or-fixtures,
  title  = {Maintain plumbing structures or fixtures.},
  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/maintain-plumbing-structures-or-fixtures}
}