# Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers

> Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.

- **SOC code:** 51-8093.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8093-00
- **Also known as:** Gauger, Operator, Pumper, Refinery Operator, Board Operator, Crude Unit Operator, Hydrotreater Operator, Outside Operator
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
- Maintain and repair equipment, or report malfunctioning equipment to supervisors so that repairs can be scheduled.
- Monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.
- Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.
- Operate control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.
- Verify that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.
- Patrol units to monitor the amount of oil in storage tanks, and to verify that activities and operations are safe, efficient, and in compliance with regulations.
- Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of system interconnections and capacities.
- Control or operate manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.
- Operate auxiliary equipment and control multiple processing units during distilling or treating operations, moving controls that regulate valves, pumps, compressors, and auxiliary equipment.
- Collect product samples by turning bleeder valves, or by lowering containers into tanks to obtain oil samples.
- Read automatic gauges at specified intervals to determine the flow rate of oil into or from tanks, and the amount of oil in tanks.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Information Ordering _(ability)_
- Flexibility of Closure _(ability)_
- Perceptual Speed _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Monitoring _(essential_skill)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Production and Processing _(knowledge)_
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Administration and Management _(knowledge)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Word _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Email software
- Inventory tracking software
- Programmable logic controller PLC software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 28th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 38th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 35th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 14th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 58th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -2.8% growth (Declining); 3.2k annual openings; 34.9k → 34k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $97,540; 34,860 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Autonomy median:** 3.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Calculate test result values, using standard formulas. _(0.3% of measured AI use)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me calculate test result values, using standard formulas.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8093-00_