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Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

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.

How does this connect to your interests? →

A look at the work

  • Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
  • 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.
  • Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
  • Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
  • Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
  • Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
  • Measure or weigh specified amounts of ingredients or materials, and load them into tanks, vats, hoppers, or other equipment.
  • Adjust machine or freezer speed and air intake to obtain desired consistency and amount of product.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

7.0 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.3 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.0 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.4 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.1 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.3 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

2017-07

3.9 / 5

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

2017-07

3.8 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2017-07

3.6 / 5

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

2017-07

3.5 / 5

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

2017-07

3.5 / 5

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Troubleshooting

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

2017-07

3.1 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 2 of 5 · 2026-02. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 51-9193.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.