Plant Operator

Airgas•Rockford, IL

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator supports the team by safely operating equipment used to handle and produce packaged gas cylinders, including high-pressure and liquefied gases. The role involves loading, unloading, sorting, moving, inspecting, preparing, filling, and labeling cylinders and cryogenic vessels, as well as maintaining an organized and safe work area. The operator follows government, Airgas, and distributor standards for handling hazardous materials and cylinders, and completes required safety and quality documentation. The position also includes assisting with cylinder inventory and basic maintenance, such as painting and cleaning. Operators use carts and material-handling equipment to move cylinders and work with the team to meet shared deadlines. The role is based at Airgas’s Linden Road filling location in Rockford, Illinois.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to read and comprehend material safety data sheets.
Supportive customer-service skills and ability to collaborate with people from varied backgrounds.
Self-motivation and ability to contribute in a fast-paced environment and meet shared deadlines.
High attention to detail and precision.
Ability to perform basic calculations, including arithmetic with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals, and compute rates, ratios, and percentages.
Ability to safely operate a forklift; training may be provided.
Physical ability to walk, sit, use hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, and reach, stoop, kneel, or crouch as needed.
Vision sufficient for workplace safety, including close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and focusing on objects.
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 the smell or sound of 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 for handling and producing packaged high-pressure and liquefied gas cylinders.
Load and unload cylinders or other products onto and off route trucks and trailers, using proper carts to move cylinders.
Sort empty cylinders by type and move cylinders on pallets using a forklift.
Read and interpret cylinder labels and tank color-coding to identify gas hazards, cylinder size, and contents.
Accurately label cylinders and safely handle high-pressure, medical, and liquid cylinders.
Prepare high-pressure cylinders and cryogenic vessels for filling; attach cylinders to a manifold and evacuate them to remove contaminants.
Assist with basic cylinder maintenance, including painting and labeling cylinders and cleaning the work area.
Inspect cylinders before filling in accordance with government, Airgas, and distributor standards.
Conduct required safety checks, including odor tests and checks of cylinder caps and valves.
Fill cylinders by pressure and weight in accordance with regulations and standards.
Check cylinder quantities, styles, and products, and assist the team with inventory.
Coordinate documentation to DOT, FDA, OSHA, and Airgas standards, and complete quality-control sheets as required.
Follow all government and company standards for safely handling hazardous materials and cylinder gases.