Occupation Summary

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

O*NET 51-8021.00

Description:

Operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes. Operate equipment such as steam engines, generators, motors, turbines, and steam boilers.

Annual Wages:
$66,338.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 11.63%.
Education Level:
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

  1. Operate or tend stationary engines, boilers, and auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, or air-conditioning equipment, to supply and maintain steam or heat for buildings, marine vessels, or pneumatic tools.
  2. Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly.
  3. Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits.
  4. Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners.
  5. Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.
  6. Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.
  7. Monitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely.
  8. Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.
  9. Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.
  10. Adjust controls and/or valves on equipment to provide power, and to regulate and set operations of system or industrial processes.
  11. Switch from automatic to manual controls and isolate equipment mechanically and electrically to allow for safe inspection and repair work.
  12. Clean and lubricate boilers and auxiliary equipment and make minor adjustments as needed, using hand tools.
  13. Check the air quality of ventilation systems and make adjustments to ensure compliance with mandated safety codes.
  14. Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts.
  15. Weigh, measure, and record fuel used.
  16. Develop operation, safety, and maintenance procedures or assist in their development.
  17. Install burners and auxiliary equipment, using hand tools.
  18. Contact equipment manufacturers or appropriate specialists when necessary to resolve equipment problems.
  19. Test electrical systems to determine voltages, using voltage meters.
  20. Provide assistance to plumbers in repairing or replacing water, sewer, or waste lines, and in daily maintenance activities.
  21. Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.
  22. Receive instructions from steam engineers regarding steam plant and air compressor operations.
  23. Ignite fuel in burners, using torches or flames.
  24. Investigate and report on accidents.
  25. Operate mechanical hoppers and provide assistance in their adjustment and repair.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators employed Annual Growth Rate
General medical and surgical hospitals 14.1 0.42
Colleges, universities, and professional schools 9.6 0.61
Traveler accommodation 9.1 0.96
Elementary and secondary schools 6.1 0.00
Facilities support services 4.4 1.26
Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills 3.1 -2.21


Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $31.89
2024 National average hourly wage $38.32
2022 National employment 33,500
2022 Texas employment 1,221
Texas projected employment by 2032 1,363
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 147




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
81.20%
Chemistry
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
68.00%
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
66.40%
Physics
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
63.60%
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
63.20%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
62.00%
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
61.60%
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
61.40%
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
61.20%
Building and Construction
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
59.40%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
80.00%
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
67.60%
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
65.00%
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
65.00%
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
65.00%
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
65.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
65.00%
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
62.40%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
62.40%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
62.40%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
77.60%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
75.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
72.40%
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
70.00%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
65.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
65.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
65.00%
Perceptual Speed
The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
65.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
62.40%
Category Flexibility
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
62.40%


  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    -- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    -- Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    -- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes
    -- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    -- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Other Activities


  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.



Tools

Adjustable wrenches: Adjustable wrenches;

Air pumps: Pneumatic pumps;

Calipers: Dial calipers;

Claw hammer: Claw hammers;

Cleaning scrapers: Equipment cleaning scrapers;

Colorimeters: Colorimeters;

Conductivity meters: Conductivity meters;

Cutting die: Metal cutting dies;

Dial indicator or dial gauge: Dial indicators;

Drain or pipe cleaning equipment: Electric drain augers;

Drill press or radial drill: Drill presses;

Dropping pipettes: Dropping pipettes;

Ear plugs: Protective ear plugs;

Explosimeters: Combustion analyzers;

Floor or platform scales: Industrial platform scales;

Forklifts: Forklifts;

Gas welding or brazing or cutting apparatus: Oxyacetylene welding equipment; Gas brazing equipment;

Grapples: Grapple cranes;

Grease guns: Grease guns;

Hammer drills: Rotary hammers;

Heat tracing equipment: Infrared guns;

Hydraulic press frames: Hydraulic press frames;

Hydraulic truck cranes: Hydraulic boom trucks;

Hydrometers: Hydrometers;

Laboratory graduated cylinders: Graduated glass cylinders;

Ladders: Ladders;

Levels: Precision levels;

Locking pliers: Locking pliers;

Masks or accessories: Filter masks;

Microcontrollers: Programmable logic controllers PLC;

Micrometers: Micrometers;

Multimeters: Digital multimeters;

Ohmmeters: Ohmmeters;

Oil gun: Oil guns;

Opacity or dust or visibility sensors: Opacity meters;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

pH meters: pH indicators;

Pipe or tube cutter: Pipe cutters;

Pipe wrenches: Pipe wrenches;

Pneumatic sanding machines: Descalers; Sandblasters;

Power drills: Power drills;

Power meters: Power meters;

Power saws: Power saws;

Pressure indicators: Pressure gauges; Manifold test gauges;

Pressure or steam cleaners: Steam cleaning equipment;

Pressure or vacuum recorders: Water column gauges;

Pressure sensors: Bourdon tubes;

Pressure transmitters: Pressure transmitters;

Protective gloves: Safety gloves;

Psychrometers: Sling psychrometers;

Ratchets: Ratchets;

Remote reading thermometers: Electronic remote reading thermometers;

Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories: Self-contained breathing apparatus;

Safety glasses: Safety glasses;

Scaffolding: Scaffolding;

Screwdrivers: Phillips head screwdrivers; Straight screwdrivers;

Shielded metal arc welding or stick welding machine: Shielded arc welding tools;

Socket sets: Socket wrench sets;

Squares: Layout squares;

Tapping machine: Tapping machines;

Taps: Metal cutting taps;

Temperature transmitters: Electronic temperature sensors;

Thermocouples: Thermocouples;

Threading taps: Hand pipe threaders;

Tracer or duplicating or contouring lathe: Bench lathes;

Turbidimeters: Turbidimeters;

Two way radios: Two way radios;

Voltage or current meters: Voltmeters; Amp meters;


Technology

Analytical or scientific software: Statistical software;

Data base user interface and query software: Operational Data Store ODS software; Database software;

Electronic mail software: Email software; Microsoft Outlook;

Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software;

Facilities management software: Building management system software; Computerized maintenance management system CMMS;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Graphics software;

Internet browser software: Web browser software;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Operating system software;

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint;

Spreadsheet software: Spreadsheet software; Microsoft Excel;

Web platform development software: Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP;

Word processing software: Microsoft Word; Word processing software;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators include:
  • 51-8013.03 Biomass Plant Technicians
  • 49-9012.00 Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
  • 53-7071.00 Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators
  • 51-8092.00 Gas Plant Operators
  • 49-9099.01 Geothermal Technicians
  • 49-9021.00 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
  • 51-8013.04 Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
  • 17-2141.00 Mechanical Engineers
  • 51-8012.00 Power Distributors and Dispatchers
  • 51-8013.00 Power Plant Operators


Sources of Additional Information
  • For information about apprenticeships, vocational training, and job opportunities, visit:
  • Information about apprenticeships is also available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s toll-free help line, (877) 872-5627; or the Employment and Training Administration.
  • For more information about training or becoming a stationary engineer or boiler operator, visit: National Association of Power Engineers, Inc.
  • Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.