Profession asphalt plant operator

Asphalt plant operators extract raw materials such as sand and stones and operate mobile equipment for their transport to the plant. They tend automated machines to crush and sort out stones, and to mix the sand and stones with asphalt cement. They take samples to check the quality of the mix and arrange for its transport to the construction site.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Asphalt mixes

  The properties, advantages and disadvantages of asphalt mixes such as Marshall and Superpave mixes and the way they are best applied.

• Composite materials

  The properties of different materials developped in a laboratory, their usage per type of products, and how to create them.

• Types of asphalt coverings

  Different types of asphalt covering, based on their bitumen content and composition. The strengths, weaknesses, and price points of each type. Special properties such as porosity, resistance to skidding and noise characteristics.

Skills

• Control temperature

  Measure and adjust temperature of a given space or object.

• Supply machine

  Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.

• Feed raw material into plant machinery

  Insert raw materials, chemicals and processing agents into plant machinery.

• Weigh materials

  Weigh materials and products, record weight and other relevant data on tags or labels.

• Segregate raw materials

  Segregate into batches the raw materials to be further processed.

• Record production data for quality control

  Keep records of the machine's faults, interventions and irregularities for quality control.

• Tend asphalt mixing machine

  Tend the machines which mix asphalt solution feeding it with the already processed minerals, bitumen and additives according to the formula.

• Prepare raw materials

  Prepare and measure the basic materials that are needed to produce goods and finished products.

• Operate raw mineral size reduction equipment

  Operate equipment used to reduce the size of raw minerals to prepare it for further processing. Work with gyrotary and jaw crushers, and roll, ball and autogenous mills.

• Operate raw mineral separation equipment

  Operate a variety of machinery used to separate raw mineral for further processing based on size of particles or chemical composition. Work with screens, flotation cells, spirals, jigs, drums and cyclones.

• Set up the controller of a machine

  Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.

• Monitor automated machines

  Continuously check up on the automated machine's set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB