Plant Operator

Airgas•Rockford, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator supports the team by safely operating equipment for handling and producing packaged gas cylinders, including high-pressure and liquefied gases. The role includes preparing, inspecting, filling, labeling, sorting, moving, and maintaining cylinders, while following applicable government, Airgas, and distributor requirements. The operator also supports inventory and documentation, performs required quality-control and safety checks, and upholds standards for the safe handling of hazardous materials and cylinder gases.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
Ability to read and comprehend material safety data sheets.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to collaborate with people with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds.
Customer service skills.
Self-motivated and able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment to meet shared deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and precision.
Ability to perform basic calculations using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals, and to compute rates, ratios, and percentages.
Ability to safely operate a forklift; training may be provided.
Physical ability to navigate the plant floor, including walking, sitting, handling objects and controls, reaching, stooping, kneeling, or crouching.
Vision abilities including close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to focus.
Ability to stand, bend, stoop, reach, and grasp regularly, and to communicate and hear effectively within the facility.
Sensory awareness to detect environmental cues, including smelling or hearing gas.
Ability to occasionally move through the facility, perform fine motor tasks or computer entry, and reach with hands and arms.
Ability to regularly lift or move up to 60 pounds and move up to 800 pounds with 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 the chemical industry.

Responsibilities

Safely operate equipment used to handle and produce packaged gas cylinders.
Load and unload gas cylinders and other products onto and off route trucks and trailers, using proper carts.
Sort empty cylinders by type and move cylinders using carts and a forklift.
Read cylinder labels and color coding to identify gas hazards, cylinder size, and contents; accurately label cylinders.
Care for high-pressure, medical, and liquid cylinders, and prepare high-pressure cylinders and cryogenic vessels for filling.
Attach cylinders to a manifold and evacuate them to eliminate contaminants.
Perform basic cylinder maintenance, including painting and labeling cylinders, and clean the work area.
Inspect cylinders before filling and perform required safety checks, including odor tests and checks of caps and valves.
Fill cylinders by pressure and weight in accordance with regulations and standards.
Check cylinder quantities, styles, and products, and assist with inventory.
Coordinate documentation to DOT, FDA, OSHA, and Airgas standards, and complete required quality-control sheets.
Follow government and company standards for the safe handling of hazardous materials and cylinder gases.