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Metal Cleaning Equipment Operator

💰 Earn $39K-$48K
📚 High School Diploma or GED
⏱️ 6–12 Month Training
📈 3.6% Job Growth
  • Ideal for those who enjoy hands-on work with diverse materials and machinery.
  • Ensure product quality and safety by expertly removing impurities from various items.
  • Unique role in maintaining cleanliness standards across multiple industries.
Metal Cleaning Equipment Operator
What Metal Cleaning Equipment Operators DoOperate or tend machines to wash or clean products, such as barrels or kegs, glass items, tin plate, food, pulp, coal, plastic, or rubber, to remove impurities.
  • Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
  • Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
  • Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
  • Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
  • Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber.
Metal Cleaning Equipment Operators Education, Salary, and Growth
Minimum EducationHigh School Diploma or GED
Career ProspectsGood (Increasing by 1-5%)
Training Time6 months to 1 year
Job Openings1,600 Annually
Median Earnings
$43,770 in California
$41,460 Nationally

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Is This Career Right For You?
YOU Like
  • Using data or completing tasks
  • Working with my hands
you value
  • Having support
  • Having freedom
  • Personal relationships
you are skilled in
  • Active Listening
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Monitoring
Go Deeper: Metal Cleaning Equipment Operators Explained
Metal Cleaning Equipment OperatorExplore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.
How Do You Train for This Career?

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Vocational SchoolA vocational school typically equips students with specialized skills and practical training in specific trades or occupations, enhancing their employability and providing direct pathways to relevant careers.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
Workforce Development ProgramA workforce development program typically enhances participants' opportunities to succeed in the workforce through employment skill-building, career counseling, connections to employers, and pathways to high-demand and high-wage jobs.
🎓 Skills-Focused
⏱️ Finish in 6 months - 2 years
ApprenticeshipAn apprenticeship typically offers a combination of hands-on training and classroom instruction, leading to practical skills, industry-specific knowledge, and the potential for long-term employment in a specific trade or profession.
🎓 Paid Work
⏱️ Finish in 2-5 years
Strategic EmploymentStrategic employment provides individuals with valuable work experience, opportunities for professional growth and networking, and exposure to an industry where they may want to pursue advancement.
🎓 Paid Work
⏱️ Finish in 1-3 years
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What Are Similar Careers?

Updated April 2026. Data sourced from O*NET and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Metal Cleaning Equipment Operator | Explore this Career