Occupational Employment Statistics
51-9111 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.
Natural Resources and Mining | N/A | N/A |
Manufacturing | 5,950 | $20.73/hr |
Trade, Transportation and Utilities | 420 | $23.66/hr |
Information | N/A | N/A |
Professional and Business Services | 1,010 | $18.43/hr |
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
| 430 | $22.96/hr | 1.7% |
Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
| 120 | $42.91/hr | 1.4% |
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
| 100 | $24.04/hr | -16.7% |
Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
| 90 | $28.68/hr | 2.6% |
Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
| 1,050 | $23.76/hr | 5.5% |
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
| 110 | $24.54/hr | 0.6% |
Pourers and Casters, Metal
| 40 | $25.56/hr | -2.0% |
- Count and record finished and rejected packaged items.
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
- Stack finished packaged items, or wrap protective material around each item, and pack the items in cartons or containers.
- Clean packaging containers, line and pad crates, or assemble cartons to prepare for product packing.
- Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
- Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
- Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
- Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
- Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.