I was curious if someone here could advise me in the best way to become an operator at one of the many local plants. I live in the Deer Park-Pasadena-La Porte area so the plants are abundant. Do you HAVE to have prior plant experience or will companies hire you with the plan to do the training. I know there are a lot of people in the industry so thanks in advance for any advice. If you know of any openings or have any pull please feel free let me know.

Thanks

just my opinion, but i think it will be more challenging to just walk in to an operations job on the downstream side. the upstream side is probably more likely, as the facilities are not as complex. the kind of training you need as an operator goes way beyond CBTs and a few classes, you really need to have an understanding of the process as well.

i work for shell, if you go to the website and look at openings, i imagine there would be some postings for operations staff and you can see what the requirements would be.

http://wrksolutions.com/jobs/focuson/occupationprofiles/WFS-Focus-ProcessOperator.pdf

Gives a good overview

I used to work for Lubrizol in deer park. I think many of the new operators had been contractors before...basically plant construction workers. If you have any sort of experience in or around a plant it would help but they may take some really green people...no harm in trying.

Plant experience is not required at all. It can help though. Any education/degree is what really helps but is not a must. All walks of life are hired on as operators...former teachers, coaches, engineers, you name it...most, not all, operators are now hiring in with 4 year degrees.

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I used to work for Lubrizol in deer park. I think many of the new operators had been contractors before...basically plant construction workers. If you have any sort of experience in or around a plant it would help but they may take some really green people...no harm in trying.

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I worked there too!

A friend of mine is an operator out at Lubrizol and trains many of the new hires that come in. According to him pretty much anything goes as far as background and it really makes his job difficult in having to deal with vast ranges of skill sets and work ethic that people come in with. That is not the case at every plant though and particularly the ones who cannot afford to invest in extensive training for new guys coming in.

I would apply to them all though and take any of the necessary pre-qual test that are out there, such as Exxons. Also, if you have trouble going straight into operations, get hired on with a contractor and start working towards a process technology certificate at a local college like Lee or San Jac. I have many friends who have gone this route and it has paid off quite well for them.

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I used to work for Lubrizol in deer park. I think many of the new operators had been contractors before...basically plant construction workers. If you have any sort of experience in or around a plant it would help but they may take some really green people...no harm in trying.

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I worked there too!

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I was just a co-op. Fall 2010 and summer 2011. I'm mechanical though.

The shift work might take some years off your life. You'll work in the middle of a highly explosive/volatile environment in most cases. Most operations jobs are unionized, so you'll have to deal with fat lazy asses. If something goes wrong in the middle of the night and you're half asleep, it's your fault and you'll be fired. Most of the time you're sitting in a dark room watching instruments for 10-12 hour shifts. You'll miss a lot of holidays with the family.

But, the pay and benefits are attractive. You could probably start off making 60-70K. I met one aggie operator that made over 120K, but he worked his ass off. You'll have extended periods of time off, and will be highly compensated during Holidays.

My old man retired as an operator after 30 years about 4 years ago. He noticed how many of his coworkers developed cancer, and decided he could comfortably retire before it got him too.

I also had to work with operators when I used to consult. They would have to fill out our safety permit before we started work, so I've been around a lot of them!

Mike King the trainer you know? Pm y'all's names if ya want. My wife works for lubrizol - was at deer park and now the Bayport plant. Nice to see People on Texags. I'm currently out at kaneka in Pasadena

I was with Austin for a brief period and have worked at both plants as well. Im sure I have probably met at least one of y'all at the company picnic or bowling.

[This message has been edited by montanagriz (edited 6/7/2013 1:26a).]

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I used to work for Lubrizol in deer park. I think many of the new operators had been contractors before...basically plant construction workers. If you have any sort of experience in or around a plant it would help but they may take some really green people...no harm in trying.

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I worked there too!

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I was just a co-op. Fall 2010 and summer 2011. I'm mechanical though.

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I was there for 4 coop terms. Starting at deer park spring 07, ending in Wickliffe, Ohio summer 09.

If I remember mike king from training correctly, he always had jars of candy and stuff. Nice guy

I have 3 Process Operator Jobs at our Polypropylene plant in Victoria Texas if interested.

Unlike many of the plants in the ship channel, ours is not unionized, self directed teams, no supervisors, pay is very competitive.

Very safe plant, great record and VPP certified.

email me if you are interested. (briones09@gmail.com)

I'm in the same situation. Located between Beaumont and Houston so I have the Beaumont/Port Arthur as well as Baytown/Mont Belvieu area. I've heard the stories where everyone is expanding and individuals are offered positions with 4 year degree and no experience so I figured I would give it a shot. I really dont have much experience but i have a graduate degree. I took the WAGE test with Exxon and met all minimum qualifications. I would like to get my foot in the door with a company that has a pension plan. Best of luck!

I spent the last 4 years in an EM facility in Singapore, and have seen the plant from both control room and field construction / commissioning perspectives.

The guys in the control room are the ones with all the experience. If you're green, your going to be the one climbing up a tower or a furnace in the middle of summer to go open a valve. Climbing up 10 stories with FRC's, steel toes, hard hat, ear muffs, gas detector, and whatever tools you may need gets old real quick.

Someone once told me an operators job is 98% boredom, and 2% sheer terror. You need to keep your wits about you, and you develop a strange obsession with which way the wind is blowing.

Invista is hiring as well, also non union.

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The guys in the control room are the ones with all the experience. If you're green, your going to be the one climbing up a tower or a furnace in the middle of summer to go open a valve. Climbing up 10 stories with FRC's, steel toes, hard hat, ear muffs, gas detector, and whatever tools you may need gets old real quick.

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This is fairly accurate.

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98% boredom, and 2% sheer terror. You need to keep your wits about you, and you develop a strange obsession with which way the wind is blowing.

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While you do have moments where you can be scared ****less, they are few an far between. Most of the plants are extremely safe and environmentally conscious. We have so many interlocks and fail safe devices it borders on overkill.

If CalTexAggie09 is talking about Ineos, I've heard nothing but good things about that company. Really take care of their workers, from what I gather.

What type of schedules do operations typically work?

4 days on, 7 off, 4 nights on, 2 off, 3 days on, 1 off, 3 nights on, 2 off. Where I work, the shift on long break ( 7 off), is also responsible for any overtime. Shift is 5:15-17:15 or vice versa.

Did I read that correctly? 4 work days, followed by 7 days off??

Yes, that is correct. Keep in mind you're expected to cover any overtime during that 7 days, so you may not get all 7 off. In fact, there are times you may end up working all 7.

If you are still looking for a job in Deer Park, have a look at this one http://www.oilandgasbestjobs.com/oil-and-gas-jobs/project-controls-manager-full-time-deer-park-tx-deer-park-texas-united-states/

Charlotte

So what would examples of pay an operator can make in the following situations:

1) without working any overtime ?
2)working every opportunity for OT one can get?
3) working a comfortable amount of OT?


If am reading right is making 120K the most one can make with working all the OT you can get?

classof2019 said:

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So what would examples of pay an operator can make in the following situations:

1) without working any overtime ?
2)working every opportunity for OT one can get?
3) working a comfortable amount of OT?


If am reading right is making 120K the most one can make with working all the OT you can get?

Depends on the plant, really. Some place pay double time or triple time for working certain holidays. Not uncommon for an operator (at top pay) to pull in $1200- $1400 for working Christmas Day. I would say the range (at top pay) would be 90k (no OT) to upwards of 160K (working as much OT as you can get).
There has been a trend recently to spread out the OT among the workers based on an industry recommendation called API765 ( google it). It basically limits how many shifts you can work in a row. It is, of course made up by engineers that have never worked shift work.
Be prepared to miss some family events ( little league type stuff). It has been good to me and my family. 20 yrs of shift work. I also have met some of the best cooks in the world in these control rooms.

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Depending on level of experience, some operators work a lot of overtime. At $40+/hr that can rack up to 150s and 160s easily, some more than that.

There isn't an hourly job in the plants that doesn't get some overtime, so the base pay is not a good representation.

API 755 (RP)

Doesn't fit the DuPont schedule so people don't like it. A new schedule that fits these guidelines is in development and you'll start to see it in plants and other industry soon

I have had friends that have done stints in Saudi. They all cleared $240K for the year. Keep in mind these are top experienced guys. There are more OT and perks for joining the volunteer fire crew as well.

Ronnie said:

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API 755 (RP)

Doesn't fit the DuPont schedule so people don't like it. A new schedule that fits these guidelines is in development and you'll start to see it in plants and other industry soon

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Yes! API 755. Sorry. Fat fingers.

valvemonkey91 said:

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classof2019 said:

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Depends on the plant, really. Some place pay double time or triple time for working certain holidays. Not uncommon for an operator (at top pay) to pull in $1200- $1400 for working Christmas Day. I would say the range (at top pay) would be 90k (no OT) to upwards of 160K (working as much OT as you can get).
There has been a trend recently to spread out the OT among the workers based on an industry recommendation called API765 ( google it). It basically limits how many shifts you can work in a row. It is, of course made up by engineers that have never worked shift work.
Be prepared to miss some family events ( little league type stuff). It has been good to me and my family. 20 yrs of shift work. I also have met some of the best cooks in the world in these control rooms.





How does the pay compare at say Shell, Valero, Exxon, Oxy, and Lyondell?


Ive got friends at the plant and was always under the impression 150K was fairly easy to make but maybe thats more like 100K without working a ton of OT.

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classof2019 said:

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valvemonkey91 said:

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classof2019 said:

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Depends on the plant, really. Some place pay double time or triple time for working certain holidays. Not uncommon for an operator (at top pay) to pull in $1200- $1400 for working Christmas Day. I would say the range (at top pay) would be 90k (no OT) to upwards of 160K (working as much OT as you can get).
There has been a trend recently to spread out the OT among the workers based on an industry recommendation called API765 ( google it). It basically limits how many shifts you can work in a row. It is, of course made up by engineers that have never worked shift work.
Be prepared to miss some family events ( little league type stuff). It has been good to me and my family. 20 yrs of shift work. I also have met some of the best cooks in the world in these control rooms.





How does the pay compare at say Shell, Valero, Exxon, Oxy, and Lyondell?


Ive got friends at the plant and was always under the impression 150K was fairly easy to make but maybe thats more like 100K without working a ton of OT.

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They are all comparable. Some have better benefit packages than others. Better retirement plans, stock matching programs, pensions, etc. I have heard (though I do not know for a fact) that some places are offering a higher hourly wage and letting new hires opt out of pension plans. Some places are unionized, some are not. Some places have divisions of the company that are union (for example: Exxon refinery in Baytown is union, but the chemical/plastics side is not). I do not know the current hourly rate of each facility. In choosing, I would read up on benefits packages, safety records, and ask questions concerning employees turnover. Shift work has its advantages and disadvantages. Good pay, time off, and decent benefits. The drawbacks are missed time with family and friends, weekends, etc. it's a give and take.

classof2019 said:

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So what would examples of pay an operator can make in the following situations:

1) without working any overtime ?
2)working every opportunity for OT one can get?
3) working a comfortable amount of OT?


If am reading right is making 120K the most one can make with working all the OT you can get?

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Entry level at a chemical plant without working any OT wouldn't net but about $70,000. At a refinery that number is closer to $80,000. In a few years with a few hourly bumps that number gets to $100,000 pretty soon.

Working OT is where it gets lucrative. I have buddies that have already made over $60,000 this year as an hourly employee and here I am in management making much less (albeit on a 9/80 schedule and I enjoy my time off with family)




To the person earlier that asked about the 7 days off. That happens once a month and is called your "long off". Somebody mentioned at their facility that the long off covers OT. That isn't universal. At my current site their is a pointer list that rotates one position each day that determines who is the "low man" for OT availability. Some sites allow the option to pass on the OT, some force it. Some sites allow whomever has the least OT banked that year the first option of OT with the option to pass it on until somebody takes it.