Plant Operator

Airgas•Rockford, IL

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator supports the team by safely operating equipment for the handling and production of packaged gas cylinders, both for high pressure and liquefied gasses. This role involves loading and unloading gas cylinders and other products onto and off of route trucks and trailers, using proper carts. The operator sorts empty cylinders by type for organized workflow, rolls cylinders, and operates a forklift for movement of cylinders on pallets. Key responsibilities include understanding gas hazards, reading cylinder labels, and accurately labeling cylinders. The position requires safe handling of high-pressure, medical, and liquid cylinders, preparing them for filling, and evacuating them to eliminate contaminants. The operator also contributes to basic cylinder maintenance, inspects cylinders according to government, Airgas, and distributor standards, and conducts various safety checks. Filling cylinders by pressure and weight, checking inventory, coordinating documentation to regulatory standards (DOT, FDA, OSHA), and completing quality control sheets are also part of the role. The Plant Operator must uphold all government and company standards related to the safe handling of hazardous materials/cylinder gases.

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 operate equipment for the handling and production of packaged gas cylinders, both for high pressure and liquefied gasses.
Load and unload gas cylinders and/or other products onto and off of route trucks and trailers moving cylinders with proper carts only.
Sort empty cylinders by type to ensure an organized workflow.
Roll cylinders and operate a forklift truck for the movement of cylinders on pallets.
Develop 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 label cylinders.
Safely care for high-pressure, medical and liquid cylinders.
Prepare high pressure cylinders and cryogenic vessels for filling.
Attach to manifold, evacuate cylinders to eliminate all possible contaminants.
Contribute to basic cylinder maintenance such as painting cylinders, labeling cylinders, and the cleaning of the work area.
Inspect cylinders prior to filling, following standard procedures as required by government, Airgas, and distributor standards.
Conduct a variety of safety checks per procedures, such as odor tests, checking caps and valves.
Fill cylinders by pressure and weight, per regulations and standards.
Check for cylinder quantities, styles and product, and/or assist the team with inventory.
Coordinate documentation to DOT, FDA, OSHA, and Airgas standards.
Complete quality control sheets as required.
Uphold all government and company standards relating to the safe handling of hazardous materials/cylinder gases.