93101 Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing

What this occupation covers

Central control and process operators in petroleum, gas and chemical processing monitor and operate petroleum, petrochemical and chemical plants and monitor, adjust and maintain processing units and equipment in these plants. They are employed by petroleum and natural gas processing, pipeline and petrochemical companies and industrial, agricultural and specialty chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 13 main duties for this code.

• Operate electronic or computerized control panel from a central control room to monitor and optimize physical and chemical processes for several processing units
• Control process start-up, shut-down and troubleshooting
• Monitor outside process equipment
• Adjust equipment, valves, pumps and controls and process equipment
• Authorize or co-sign maintenance work orders
• Shut down, isolate and prepare process units or production equipment for maintenance
• Sample products, perform tests, record data, carry out statistical process control on process operations, and write production logs
• Develop operating procedures for normal operation, start-up or shut-down of unit
• Participate in safety audits and programs and provide emergency response when required
• Ensure adherence to safety and environmental regulations
• May rotate between different processing units during shift cycles
• May work in a team with shared supervisory responsibilities and participate in training other workers
• May be cross-trained in a skilled trade and work in the trade during shift cycles.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 13 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 94110 Chemical plant machine operators
• 92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities

Excluded from this code

• Chemical plant machine operators (See 94110 Chemical plant machine operators)
• Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities (See 92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

absorption operator · absorption plant operator · acid mixer operator · acid plant operator · alkylation chief operator · alkylation operator · alkylation tower tender · alum-liquor plant operator · ammonia plant operator · antibiotics fermenter · assistant operator - chemical processing · batching chemical process operator · batching process chief operator · battery operator - oil and gas · benzol agitator operator · bitumen extraction plant operator · bitumen upgrading plant operator · boardman/woman - chemical processing · brine equipment tender · brine purification operator · burner operator - petroleum · catalytic conversion operator · catalytic cracking unit operator · caustic cell operator

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required. Mathematics, chemistry and physics subjects are often specified.
• A college diploma in process operation, sciences or a related subject may be required for some positions.
• Petroleum and chemical process operators and process technicians require completion of several years of formal company training.
• Experience as a petroleum or chemical process operator in all the operating units controlled by the central control room is required for chief operators.
• Company certification as a petroleum process operator or technician may be required.
• A provincial power engineer licence, compressor operator or refrigeration certificate may be required when certain kinds of equipment are included in the process.
• Certification in the transportation of dangerous goods (TDG), first aid, firefighting, or workplace hazardous materials information system (WHMIS) may be required.