Occupation: Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

51-3091.00 | 19 tasks | 10 job titles

Reported Job Titles

(10)
  • Bean Roaster
  • Coffee Roaster
  • Line Operator
  • Machine Operator
  • Oven Operator
  • Oven Technician
  • Roast Master
  • Roaster
  • Roaster Operator
  • Roasterman

Core Tasks

(10)
  • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
  • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
  • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
  • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
  • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
  • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
  • Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
  • Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
  • Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.

Supplemental Tasks

(9)
  • Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
  • Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
  • Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
  • Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans.
  • Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment.
  • Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses.
  • Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels.
  • Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools.
  • Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing.