Operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes. Operate equipment, such as steam engines, generators, motors, turbines, and steam boilers.
U.S. Workers
30,780
Median Salary
$75,190
10-Year Growth
+2.2%
Annual Openings
3,800
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
24 of 25 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Monitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely.
AI: Fully automatable - AI systems integrated with sensors and alarms can continuously monitor equipment, detect leaks or malfunctions, and ensure efficient and safe operation.
Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated control systems and AI controllers can safely actuate valves to manage boiler water, combustion air, and fuel flow when integrated with appropriate safety interlocks.
Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.
AI: Fully automatable - AI connected to sensors and control actuators can monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels and automatically make adjustments to maintain required levels.
Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can observe and interpret gauge, meter, and chart data in real time to assess boiler operation and detect abnormalities.
Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits.
AI: Fully automatable - Online water chemistry analyzers combined with AI can test water quality, schedule confirmatory lab work, and automatically dose chemicals to correct issues without routine human intervention.
Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can ingest instrument readings, test results and maintenance records and automatically generate and maintain accurate daily operation, maintenance and safety logs.
Weigh, measure, and record fuel used.
AI: Fully automatable - Weighing, measuring, and recording fuel are routine sensor and data-logging tasks that can be fully automated with sensors, PLCs and AI workflows by 2025.
Test electrical systems to determine voltages, using voltage meters.
AI: Fully automatable - Testing electrical systems and reading voltages are routine measurement tasks that can be fully automated with test rigs, remote sensors and AI interpretation by 2025.
Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze sensor and trend data and recommend corrective actions, but cannot reliably perform all hands-on interventions or assume final safety and regulatory responsibility.
Operate or tend stationary engines, boilers, and auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, or air-conditioning equipment, to supply and maintain steam or heat for buildings, marine vessels, or pneumatic tools.
AI: Partial - AI and control systems can operate and supervise many engines and boilers remotely and automate routine tending, but physical inspections, on‑site adjustments and licensed operator responsibilities remain human tasks.
Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.
AI: Partial - Automated feed systems and control logic can manage firing for gas/oil boilers, but manual coal stoking and on‑the‑spot human adjustments remain hard to fully automate in most facilities.
Adjust controls and/or valves on equipment to provide power, and to regulate and set operations of system or industrial processes.
AI: Partial - AI can compute optimal setpoints and drive actuated controls in automated facilities, yet cannot perform manual valve manipulations or be sole authority for all safety‑critical adjustments in every context.
Switch from automatic to manual controls and isolate equipment mechanically and electrically to allow for safe inspection and repair work.
AI: Partial - AI can instruct, coordinate and remotely switch systems where actuators exist, but cannot physically perform mechanical lockout/tagout and the on‑site isolation steps required for safe inspections and repairs.
Investigate and report on accidents.
AI: Partial - AI can analyze logs, sensor data and video to reconstruct incidents and draft investigation reports, but cannot perform on‑site evidence collection, witness interviews, or final legal determinations unaided.
Develop operation, safety, and maintenance procedures or assist in their development.
AI: Partial - AI can draft and template operation, safety and maintenance procedures using standards and historical data, but human experts must validate, adapt for site specifics, and certify them.
Receive instructions from steam engineers regarding steam plant and air compressor operations.
AI: Partial - AI can receive, transcribe and route operational instructions and even execute automated controls, but the interpersonal and supervisory aspects of 'receiving instructions' still involve human roles.
Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts.
AI: Partial - AI can diagnose faults, plan repairs, order parts and coordinate technicians, but cannot carry out the hands‑on overhauls, part fabrication and manual replacements itself.
Check the air quality of ventilation systems and make adjustments to ensure compliance with mandated safety codes.
AI: Partial - AI can continuously monitor air quality with sensors and adjust HVAC controls to maintain compliance, but on‑site sampling, calibration and final regulatory sign‑offs still require human involvement.
Ignite fuel in burners, using torches or flames.
AI: Partial - Automated ignition systems can handle burner ignition under control logic, but manual torch/flame ignition and the associated safety judgments are not fully automatable in all contexts.
Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.
AI: Partial - AI can monitor, schedule and provide decision support for supervision, but full supervisory responsibilities (personnel management, complex judgments, accountability) are not fully automatable.
Clean and lubricate boilers and auxiliary equipment and make minor adjustments as needed, using hand tools.
AI: Partial - Diagnosis, scheduling and guidance for cleaning/lubrication can be automated, but the varied manual dexterity of using hand tools for minor adjustments still typically requires human technicians.
Operate mechanical hoppers and provide assistance in their adjustment and repair.
AI: Partial - Operating mechanical hoppers can be automated, and AI can assist adjustment diagnostics, but hands-on repair and nuanced adjustments generally still require human technicians.
Contact equipment manufacturers or appropriate specialists when necessary to resolve equipment problems.
AI: Partial - AI can detect faults, draft and send messages or tickets to manufacturers and specialists, but judgment calls, negotiations and some approvals still require human oversight.
Provide assistance to plumbers in repairing or replacing water, sewer, or waste lines, and in daily maintenance activities.
AI: Partial - AI can provide diagnostics, instructions and remote guidance for plumbing repairs, but physically assisting with repairs and varied field work remains largely manual.
Install burners and auxiliary equipment, using hand tools.
AI: Not automatable - Installation using hand tools is a hands‑on manual trade that AI cannot physically perform in the field as of 2025.