Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
Occupation · SOC 51-9193.00
Operate or tend equipment such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals.
Also called: Freezer Operator · Freezer Person · Refrigeration Operator · Refrigeration Technician · Certified Refrigeration Operator · Compressor Operator · Engine Room Operator · Ice Cream Maker · Machine Operator · Ammonia Refrigeration Worker · Batch Freezer · Batch Freezer Operator
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-9193-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+7.2% by 2034)
- 800 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $40,160/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (84th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (18th)
18th-percentile task overlap — yet about 800 openings a year (+7.2% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 19th | -1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 11th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 33rd | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 84th percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +7.2% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 7,100 → 7,600 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders sits at the 18th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
15% mean task exposure (2025)
18th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−0 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Food and Related Products Machine Operators · 8160 | 15% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms. Core · importance 4.3
- Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed. Core · importance 4.3
- Measure or weigh specified amounts of ingredients or materials, and load them into tanks, vats, hoppers, or other equipment. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures. Core · importance 4.2
- Adjust machine or freezer speed and air intake to obtain desired consistency and amount of product. Supplemental · importance 4.2
- Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes. Core · importance 4.2
- Weigh packages and adjust freezer air valves or switches on filler heads to obtain specified amounts of product in each container. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary. Core · importance 4.0
- Inspect and flush lines with solutions or steam, and spray equipment with sterilizing solutions. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Load and position wrapping paper, sticks, bags, or cartons into dispensing machines. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Sample and test product characteristics such as specific gravity, acidity, and sugar content, using hydrometers, pH meters, or refractometers. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Start agitators to blend contents, or start beater, scraper, and expeller blades to mix contents with air and prevent sticking. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools. Core · importance 3.8
- Place or position containers into equipment, and remove containers after completion of cooling or freezing processes. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Scrape, dislodge, or break excess frost, ice, or frozen product from equipment to prevent accumulation, using hands and hand tools. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Activate mechanical rakes to regulate flow of ice from storage bins to vats. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Stir material with spoons or paddles to mix ingredients or allow even cooling and prevent coagulation. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Insert forming fixtures, and start machines that cut frozen products into measured portions or specified shapes. Supplemental
- Position molds on conveyors, and measure and adjust level of fill, using depth gauges. Supplemental
Work activities
- Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
- Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
- Record operational or production data.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
- Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
- Clear equipment jams.
- Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
- Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
- Operate pumping systems or equipment.
- Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.
- Install mechanical components in production equipment.
- Clean production equipment.
- Weigh finished products.
- Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
- Operate mixing equipment.
- Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
- Load materials into production equipment.
- Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
- Position containers to receive materials or workpieces.
- Sterilize food cooking or processing equipment.
- Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
- Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
- Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Transferable skills
Knowledge
| Production and Processing | 3.9 | |
| Mechanical | 3.4 | |
| English Language | 3.4 | |
| Food Production | 3.3 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.3 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.1 | |
| Education and Training | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.3 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Control Precision | 3.1 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Written Expression | 3.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | |
| Monitoring | 3.5 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Google Gmail | Electronic mail software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 7.3% | |
| Some College Courses | 0.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.3 | |
| Investigative | 2.3 | |
| Social | 1.4 |
Interest areas
| Mechanics/Electronics | 4.6 | |
| Engineering | 3.1 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.8 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 1.7 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.7 | |
| Physical Science | 1.5 | |
| Culinary Art | 1.5 | |
| Agriculture | 1.4 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 1.3 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.2 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.2 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $33,710 |
| 25th percentile | $36,150 |
| Median (50th) | $40,160 |
| 75th percentile | $49,150 |
| 90th percentile | $62,760 |
| People employed | 6,590 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 5,540 | $39,780 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 430 | $43,930 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 240 | $45,370 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 130 | $37,950 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 120 | $37,950 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 60 | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 50 | $47,340 |
| Accommodation and Food Services · Sector | — | $38,460 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 10.16× | 5,540 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 1.36× | 430 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.06× | 120 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 0.93× | 240 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.34× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders · 51-9192.00 Compare →
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9012.00 Compare →
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders · 51-9051.00 Compare →
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · 51-4191.00 Compare →
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-3091.00 Compare →
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-3093.00 Compare →
- Food Batchmakers · 51-3092.00 Compare →
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders · 51-4051.00 Compare →
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9041.00 Compare →
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators · 51-8021.00 Compare →
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders · 51-9111.00 Compare →
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · 51-9023.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders Compare →
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Compare →
- Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders Compare →
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Compare →
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 18th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders show 18th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders rank in the 18th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $40,160, across about 6,590 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders show 18th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 800 annual U.S. openings • Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders rank in the 18th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $40,160, across about 6,590 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9193-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9193-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9193-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-9193-00,
title = {Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-9193-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.