Plant Operator

Airgas•Rockford, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator safely operates equipment used to handle and produce packaged gas cylinders, including high-pressure and liquefied gases. The role supports plant operations by loading, unloading, sorting, moving, preparing, inspecting, filling, and maintaining cylinders, while following applicable safety, quality, and regulatory procedures. The operator handles cylinder documentation and quality-control records, supports inventory activities, and upholds government and company standards for hazardous materials and cylinder gases. The position is based at Airgas's Linden Road filling operation in Rockford, Illinois.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent is preferred.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to read and understand material safety data sheets.
Supportive customer service skills.
Self-motivated and able to contribute effectively in a fast-paced environment to meet shared deadlines.
High attention to detail and precision.
Comfortable performing basic calculations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to calculate rates, ratios, and percentages.
Ability to safely operate a forklift; training may be provided.
Physical dexterity to navigate the plant floor, including walking, sitting, handling or feeling objects, tools, or controls, and reaching, stooping, kneeling, or crouching as needed.
Vision abilities needed for safety, including close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to focus.
Physical coordination to stand, bend, stoop, reach, and grasp, and ability to communicate and hear effectively within the facility.
Sensory awareness to detect environmental cues such as 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 to 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 chemical industry.
Enjoys collaborating with people with varied perspectives and backgrounds.

Responsibilities

Safely operate equipment for handling and producing packaged high-pressure and liquefied gas cylinders.
Load and unload gas cylinders or other products onto and off route trucks and trailers, using proper carts to move cylinders.
Sort empty cylinders by type.
Roll cylinders and operate a forklift to move cylinders on pallets.
Read cylinder labels and color coding to understand gas hazards, cylinder size, and contents; label cylinders accurately.
Care for high-pressure, medical, and liquid cylinders; prepare high-pressure cylinders and cryogenic vessels for filling.
Attach cylinders to a manifold and evacuate them to eliminate possible contaminants.
Perform basic cylinder maintenance, including painting and labeling cylinders, and cleaning the work area.
Inspect cylinders before filling according to government, Airgas, and distributor standards, 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 as needed.
Coordinate documentation to DOT, FDA, OSHA, and Airgas standards and complete required quality-control sheets.
Follow all government and company standards for the safe handling of hazardous materials and cylinder gases.