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re: What do plant operators do? And how much do they really make?
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:11 am to Lsuhack1
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:11 am to Lsuhack1
quote:
here is hourly... so i guess if you just want to work work work you can make good money. AND NEWSFLASH PEOPLE LIE ABOUT HOW MUCH THEY MAKE.
That’s about right hourly. My facility is closer to $45 though.
Yearly is low. That’s base salary not factoring in daily built in OT and adjusted rates. At my facility we make our hourly rate for the first 8 hours and OT for the last 4 hours of each shift.
Also, if I sign up for an OT shift that’s 12 hours at 1.5x my rate.
So a normal day for me is $43 x 8hrs + $64.5 x 4hrs = $602
An overtime shift is $64.5 x 12 = $774
Also base salary does not include yearly bonus and quarterly safety bonuses.
This post was edited on 4/24/18 at 10:14 am
1
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:14 am to TigerstuckinMS
quote:
Anywhere from a 2 year tech degree to a 4 year degree. Experience. Willingness to spend a few years in the weather turning valves and learning the operating unit inside and out. After that, willingness to sit long hours staring at a control board monitoring the process and adjusting as necessary. Willingness to stay in the middle of giant bomb with the knowledge and information required to prevent it from making a lot of light and noise and becoming a smoldering toxic crater when it decides that its sole ambition in this universe is to make a lot of light and noise and become a smoldering toxic crater.
Must have a good gumbo recipe and contractor mocking skills.
I have a 4 year degree so I am good there, I would just have to learn the sytems etc. Do they have classes for that? Like could I take some college/tech courses to learn that type of stuff?
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:17 am to Lookin4Par
Knowing people who are operators, it varies depending on what plant you work at, but while it might not be that much work involved for the most part, they have to monitor pressure gages, etc.
I think each unit will have 3 operators working at once, its a rotation. One of them are there are backup and there really isn't much going on unless something happens.
From what I understand it isn't for everyone. Someone told me that they have seen guys go nuts because once you are in there for your shift you are locked in. And seen guys on night shifts worrying about their wives because they go out with their friends and then get word that she is messing around with another dude, etc.. But of course the job didn't create the problems..
You could become a safety supervisor, I think there is one on every shift. They are usually dorks, but that's all I really know..
I think each unit will have 3 operators working at once, its a rotation. One of them are there are backup and there really isn't much going on unless something happens.
From what I understand it isn't for everyone. Someone told me that they have seen guys go nuts because once you are in there for your shift you are locked in. And seen guys on night shifts worrying about their wives because they go out with their friends and then get word that she is messing around with another dude, etc.. But of course the job didn't create the problems..
You could become a safety supervisor, I think there is one on every shift. They are usually dorks, but that's all I really know..
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:19 am to PortHudsonPlaya
quote:Well-said.
They also make around $100k give or take. They think they're rich but don't realize any professional actually makes that easily and doesn't have to work a shite ton of overtime, holidays, and nights to get it.
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:24 am to PortHudsonPlaya
quote:
They think they're rich but don't realize any professional actually makes that easily and doesn't have to work a shite ton of overtime, holidays, and nights to get it.
Must not be that many professionals out there then
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:26 am to PortHudsonPlaya
quote:
PortHudsonplaya
quote:
Sit on their arse, get moody when asked to get off their arse, stare at their 401ks all day, and sit around and bitch about people that have an ounce of motivation in their lives. They also make around $100k give or take. They think they're rich but don't realize any professional actually makes that easily and doesn't have to work a shite ton of overtime, holidays, and nights to get it. Most are still stuck in the 1970s.
This reminds me of some operators I’ve dealt with in Port Hudson
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:27 am to WHS
These days just having a four year degree won't do it. You'd better have around 5 years plant experience to get an interview. There's 100's of guys in Lake Charles with a PTech degree that can't get a job. Myself included. Most of the guys who graduated in my class who got hired knew someone in HR or their dad worked there.
This post was edited on 4/24/18 at 10:28 am
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:29 am to SouthTiger504
Not to mention double time and a half on holidays.
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:32 am to kywildcatfanone
quote:
Plant operators, like anyone in O&G are making bank all the time.
Plant operators mentioned here are not necessarily O&G
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:43 am to Lsuhack1
quote:
At 16% that would be 115,000 per year. If you made the average hourly income of 33.00 per year that would mean that your average operator worked almost 1,000 hours of overtime a year. IDK About yall but i rather make a bit less and have a family, life, etc...
That hourly average is not accurate. Most the people here are working for major refineries and chemical producers like Exxon, Shell, BASF, Valero, Marathon etc. and all the competition here for good operators only raises wages.
Average for our area is probably about $43
This post was edited on 4/24/18 at 10:45 am
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:46 am to HermanBoone
quote:
These days just having a four year degree won't do it. You'd better have around 5 years plant experience to get an interview. There's 100's of guys in Lake Charles with a PTech degree that can't get a job. Myself included. Most of the guys who graduated in my class who got hired knew someone in HR or their dad worked there.
I hear you, that is what I was afraid of.
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:48 am to GATORGAR247
quote:
Not to mention double time and a half on holidays.
keep the $, I'll take the holidays off
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:50 am to 777Tiger
quote:
keep the $, I'll take the holidays off
Right
The 2.5 pay means nothing when I'm already getting the holiday paid anyway
It's just regular overtime
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:51 am to Lookin4Par
Thanks everyone! I would have never known all of this information otherwise! 
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:57 am to Powerman
We get 8hrs paid holiday when we’re off.
When we work we get 12 hour @ 2.5x rate
It’s a big difference
When we work we get 12 hour @ 2.5x rate
It’s a big difference
Posted on 4/24/18 at 10:58 am to Lookin4Par
Like any OT thread, there are a shitton of over generalizations on this issue. First, the pay does vary quite a bit based on what kind of facility one is working at. The big boys need people with experience and those committed to safety and a great work ethic.
The one I know works at Dow and I think is regular salary is around $80,000. Of course it does suck to have to work all of that OT and the holidays and miss many special family events, so I know I couldn't do it.
As for getting rich, yes it's very possible. I have a family member who just retired from Exxon with over $2 million. Of course he lived in the same house for 40 years and brown bagged his lunches. Didn't by the latest model fancy trucks either.
Most of the refineries used to offer a pension and still offer some form of it. The 401K matches are good and the employees get a big reduction on buying stock.
All in all, I think most of the OT would see a turner boiler maker at the gas station with his truck nuts and stickers and lump him in with a plant operator.
The one I know works at Dow and I think is regular salary is around $80,000. Of course it does suck to have to work all of that OT and the holidays and miss many special family events, so I know I couldn't do it.
As for getting rich, yes it's very possible. I have a family member who just retired from Exxon with over $2 million. Of course he lived in the same house for 40 years and brown bagged his lunches. Didn't by the latest model fancy trucks either.
Most of the refineries used to offer a pension and still offer some form of it. The 401K matches are good and the employees get a big reduction on buying stock.
All in all, I think most of the OT would see a turner boiler maker at the gas station with his truck nuts and stickers and lump him in with a plant operator.
Posted on 4/24/18 at 11:01 am to SouthTiger504
quote:
We get 8hrs paid holiday when we’re off.
When we work we get 12 hour @ 2.5x rate
It’s a big difference
It's not that big of a difference when it comes to your annual income
I get paid 8 hours holiday pay regardless of whether I'm at work or not
So let's say I work 12 hours and I'm in OT. That's equivalent of 18+8 = 26 hours of straight time. You get 12 x 2.5 which is 30 hours straight time
It's "a big difference" if you suck at math
Posted on 4/24/18 at 11:29 am to notiger1997
quote:
All in all, I think most of the OT would see a turner boiler maker at the gas station with his truck nuts and stickers and lump him in with a plant operator.
Well, yeah, because the OT is stupid.
Posted on 4/24/18 at 11:30 am to Areddishfish
quote:
A lot of times, they are just looking at screens are levels to make sure nothing is going out of whack. If there are valves that aren't automatic, part of their job may be to open and close some
It’s not just that they open or close valves. They have to know why they should do so.
That decision can have direct consequences to the health and safety of the public.
I don’t want to fret over a release of Methyl-Ethyl-Deathaline, so I’m glad operators are good bawls that make good money.
This post was edited on 4/24/18 at 11:31 am
Posted on 4/24/18 at 11:33 am to elprez00
Exactly. You don’t want a PeeJ sitting in the control room when a compressor goes down, a valve fails, or you have a power failure.
The correct decision in a quick minute can mean the difference between a minor issue and a big boom with $100 million in bad things happening
The correct decision in a quick minute can mean the difference between a minor issue and a big boom with $100 million in bad things happening
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