Plant Operator

Airgas•South Chicago Heights, IL

17h•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator at Airgas in South Chicago Heights, IL, is responsible for the safe operation of equipment involved in the handling and production of packaged gas cylinders, including high-pressure and liquefied gasses. This role involves loading and unloading cylinders, sorting them for workflow, and operating a forklift for movement. The operator must understand the hazards of various gases, interpret cylinder labels, and ensure accurate labeling. Key duties include preparing and filling high-pressure and cryogenic cylinders, performing basic cylinder maintenance, and conducting safety checks in accordance with government, Airgas, and distributor standards. The position also requires inventory assistance and coordinating documentation to meet DOT, FDA, OSHA, and company standards for hazardous materials.

Requirements

Excellent verbal and written communication skills to ensure team alignment.
Ability to read and comprehend material safety data sheets to maintain a secure environment.
Enjoys collaborating with a wide variety of people with different perspectives and backgrounds.
Supportive customer service skills.
Self-motivated and able to contribute effectively in a fast-paced environment to meet shared deadlines.
High level of attention to detail and precision.
Comfortable with basic calculations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentages.
Ability to safely operate a forklift (training may be provided).
Physical dexterity to navigate the plant floor: includes walking, sitting, and using hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; reaching, stooping, kneeling, or crouching as needed.
Specific vision abilities to ensure safety: including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus on objects.
Regularly utilizes physical coordination to stand, bend, stoop, reach, and grasp; ability to communicate and hear effectively within the facility.
Sensory awareness to detect environmental cues, such as smelling or hearing gas to ensure site safety.
Occasionally required to move through the facility, use hands for fine motor tasks or computer entry, and reach with hands and arms.
Capacity to regularly lift and/or move up to 60 pounds and move up to 800 pounds with the assistance of material handling equipment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a manufacturing operation; filling or loading experience is a plus.
Familiarity with the gas, welding, and safety supply industry or chemical industry is valued.

Responsibilities

Safely operating equipment for the handling and production of packaged gas cylinders, both for high pressure and liquefied gasses.
Loading and unloading gas cylinders and/or other products onto and off of route trucks and trailers moving cylinders with proper carts only.
Sorting empty cylinders by type to ensure an organized workflow.
Rolling cylinders and operating a forklift truck for the movement of cylinders on pallets.
Developing an understanding of hazards of various gases; size and contents of cylinders by reading and interpreting cylinder labels and the color-coding of tanks.
Accurately labeling cylinders.
Safely caring for high-pressure, medical and liquid cylinders.
Preparing high pressure cylinders and cryogenic vessels for filling.
Attaching to manifold, evacuating cylinders to eliminate all possible contaminants.
Contributing to basic cylinder maintenance such as painting cylinders, labeling cylinders, and the cleaning of the work area.
Inspecting cylinders prior to filling, following standard procedures as required by government, Airgas, and distributor standards.
Conducting a variety of safety checks per procedures, such as odor tests, checking caps and valves.
Filling cylinders by pressure and weight, per regulations and standards.
Checking for cylinder quantities, styles and product, and/or assisting the team with inventory.
Coordinating documentation to DOT, FDA, OSHA, and Airgas standards.
Completing quality control sheets as required.
Upholding all government and company standards relating to the safe handling of hazardous materials/cylinder gases.