As of June 2026, Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders has an AI-exposure score of 54/100 (Elevated exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
More exposed than 45% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$43,530. About 1,600 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Production roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- Record gauge readings, materials used, processing times, or test results in production logs.
- Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity.
- Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines.
- Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
- Measure, weigh, or mix cleaning solutions, using measuring tanks, calibrated rods or suction tubes.
- 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.
- Adjust, clean, and lubricate mechanical parts of machines, using hand tools and grease guns.
- Load machines with objects to be processed and unload them after cleaning, placing them on conveyors or racks.
- Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations.
- Examine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions.
- Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (91%).
Safer adjacent roles
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it · 5–10 safer roles with salary, demand & reachability · skill-gap map · a 30/60/90-day roadmap · plus a résumé & LinkedIn rewrite · PDF.
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Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium — adapting pays. — PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
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