Mineral Processing Machine Operators
Job description
These individuals operate equipment that moulds, filters, mixes, and processes minerals. They work in:
- Copper, lead, and zinc refining plants
- Uranium processing plants
- Precious metal refining plants
- Cement manufacturing plants
- Ore processing plants
- Steel mills
- Aluminium smelters
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Odours
- Nontoxic dust
- Radiation
- Uncontrolled ambient temperature
- Noise
- Fire, steam, hot surfaces
Main tasks
- Set up, prepare, and adjust metal, mineral, and cement processing machinery.
- Operate and adjust equipment that grinds, filters, mixes, or processes minerals.
- Monitor various elements to ensure proper operation (valves, meters, data, etc.).
- Keep records of production.
- Draft reports.
- Assist in the maintenance and repair of machines, as required.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience leads to senior positions.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $25.00
- Median
- $38.61
- Maximum
- $52.00
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
5,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 6.2% Female
- 93.8% Male
Not available.
- 6.2% Female
- 93.8% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$103,000
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 33170% of jobs
-
NAICS 218% of jobs
-
NAICS 3325% of jobs
-
NAICS 414% of jobs
-
NAICS 3272% of jobs
-
Others11% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 33170% of jobs
-
NAICS 218% of jobs
-
NAICS 3325% of jobs
-
NAICS 414% of jobs
-
NAICS 3272% of jobs
-
Others11% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
Secondary
DVS in conduite de machines de traitement du minerai
Code : 5274
Placement rate: 89.1%
DVS in opération d'équipements de production
Code : 5362
Placement rate: 80.4%
13.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Sometimes required
- Experience as a Labourer in metal and mineral processing is usually required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Monitoring operations
- Operations and control
- Result evaluation
- Information processing
- Quality control analysis
- Reading comprehension
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Critical thought
- Solving complex problems
Abilities
- Control accuracy
- Manual dexterity
- Awareness of issues
- Near vision
- Hand-arm stability
- Reaction time
- Selective attention
- Limb coordination
- Information organization
- Speed control
- Static muscle power
- Depth perception
- Deductive reasoning
- Perception speed
- Hearing sensitivity
- Physical flexibility in extension
- Auditory attention
- Digital dexterity
- Core strength
- Verbal skills
- Colour perception and distinction
- Inductive reasoning
- Response orientation
- Processing flexibility
- Tolerance to bright light
Knowledge and attributes
- Critical thinking
- Focussed on results
- Autonomy
- Capacity to work in a team
- Knowledge of production and treatment
- Versatility
- Rigour
- Respect standards and regulations
- Assiduity and punctuality
- Sense of observation
Interests
- Make, build, install
- Develop and exploit natural resources
- Collect, verify, sort, and classify data or information
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Official name of the NOC 94100
Machine operators, mineral and metal processing
Job titles
- Heat Treatment Operators
- Ingot finishing operator
- Continuous drossing operator
- Crushing equipment operator
- Cell operator - primary metal and mineral processing
- Metal pointer operator - primary metal processing
- Indium refiner
- Mint precious metal refiner - primary metal processing
- Lead refiner
- Lead and copper refiner
- Process assistant - zinc pressure leach
- Coal breaker
- Cement miller
- Coke grinder
- Salt crusher
- Case hardener - primary metal processing
- Kettle charger
- Furnace charger
- Coke oven heater
- Rivet heater - primary metal processing
- Mica splitter
- Anode press operator
- Metal extrusion press operator - primary metal processing
- Aluminum oxide controller
- Pourer - metal processing
- Steel pourer
- Aluminum pourer - primary metal processing
- Slab caster - steel rolling mill
- Crucible pourer
- Pig iron pourer
- Pig caster - primary metal processing
- Metal pourer - metal processing
- Lead caster - primary metal processing
- Ladle pourer
- Crane ladle pourer
- Coal screener
- Ore screener
- Mica trimmer
- Rod drawer - primary metal processing
- Tube drawer - primary metal processing
- Aluminum powder maker
- Finisher - primary metal processing
- Pot liner - metal processing
- Roller plate mill - primary metal processing
- Temper mill roller - primary metal processing
- Steel roller
- Cold steel roller - steel production
- Mica sheet laminator
- Sheet roller - primary metal processing
- Plate roller - primary metal processing
- Seamless tube roller - primary metal processing
- Coal washer
- Anode caster
- Anode caster - primary metal processing
- Anode operator
- Leaching operator - primary metal processing
- Zinc pressure leach operator
- Purification operator - zinc oxide leach
- Alumina recovery operator
- Arsenic recovery operator
- Charge control operator
- Sulphur control operator - zinc pressure leach
- Jumbo casting operator - zinc melting
- Cadmium control operator - zinc leaching
- Electrolytic descaler - primary metal processing
- Waste treatment operator - metal processing
- Dross treatment operator - zinc melting
- Solution operator - primary metal and mineral processing
- Slime recovery operator - primary metal processing
- Electrolytic cleaner operator - primary metal processing
- Larry car operator
- Hydrate thickener operator
- Fume scrubber operator
- Auxiliary equipment operator - primary metal processing
- Cementation equipment operator
- Dewatering equipment operator
- Tankhouse equipment operator - primary metal processing
- Recovery equipment operator - primary metal and mineral processing
- Lead extruder operator - primary metal processing
- Aluminum-briquetting equipment operator
- Cadmium plant operator
- Pickle line operator - primary metal processing
- Baghouse operator
- Anode paste plant operator
- Copper flotation operator
- Molybdenum flotation operator
- Molybdenum leaching plant operator
- Cryolite recovery equipment operator
- Slurry equipment operator
- Charging car operator
- Cement mixer - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Coiler operator - primary metal processing
- Milling machine operator - mineral and metal processing
- Rod mill operator - primary metal processing
- Ball mill operator
- Granulator operator - phosphate
- Brick and tile crusher operator
- Coke calciner operator
- Concrete batch plant operator - cement manufacturing
- Charging machine operator - mineral and metal processing
- Ingot buggy operator
- Quenching car operator
- Classifier operator
- Aluminum classifier
- Uranium classifier operator
- Transfer bed operator - primary metal processing
- Zinc cell operator
- Alumina clarifier operator
- Pickler operator - primary metal processing
- Scrap metal shredder
- Cathode-stripping machine operator - zinc electrolysis
- Sheet rougher - primary metal processing
- Dust operator
- Digester operator - primary metal and mineral processing
- Roller-leveller operator
- Stretcher-leveller operator - primary metal processing
- Residue filter operator - zinc oxide leach
- Calciner operator - mineral products processing
- Lime kiln operator
- Coke oven operator
- Billet heater
- Heat-treat furnace operator - primary metal processing
- Gypsum calciner
- Sintering machine operator
- Annealer - primary metal processing
- Rotary kiln operator - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Rolling mill operator - mineral and metal processing
- Wire roller operator - primary metal processing
- Sheet rolling mill operator - primary metal processing
- Plate rolling mill operator - primary metal processing
- Tube rolling mill operator - primary metal processing
- Cold steel rolling mill operator
- Roughing mill operator - metal processing
- Reeling machine operator - primary metal processing
- Piercing mill operator - primary metal processing
- Copper billet piercing mill operator
- Reversing mill operator - primary metal processing
- Stack dust leach operator - zinc casting
- Machine operator - mineral and metal processing
- Salt compactor operator
- Pointer operator - primary metal processing
- Briquetting machine operator
- Salt compressor operator
- Casting machine operator - primary metal processing
- Aluminum-casting machine operator - primary metal processing
- Lead-casting machine operator - primary metal processing
- Straightening feeder operator
- Roll-straightener operator - primary metal processing
- Bar-straightening machine operator - metal processing
- Tube straightener operator - primary metal processing
- Foil-winding machine operator
- Aluminum stretcher-leveller operator
- Copper-briquetting machine operator
- Coke oven door operator
- Wire drawing machine operator
- Manipulator machine operator - primary metal processing
- Metal mixer operator - primary metal processing
- Molten metal mixer operator
- Crusher and blender operator
- Ladle operator - primary metal processing
- Dust pump operator - slag furnace
- Scalehouse operator - zinc melting
- Extrusion press operator
- Coarse salt equipment operator
- Scrubber operator
- Steel straightener operator
- Cooling bed operator - steel mill
- Lead wheel operator
- Dryer operator - mineral and metal processing
- Ore dryer operator
- Magnetic separator operator - primary metal processing
- Sink-float equipment operator - metal processing
- Water treatment plant operator - primary metal processing
- Steel rougher
- Electrolytic tank maintainer - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Slag pelletizer - primary metal processing
- Cadmium zinc leacher
- Tubing machine tender - primary metal processing
- Induction machine tender - primary metal processing
- Cottrell tender
- Aluminum slurry pump tender
- Pellet press tender - primary metal processing
- Mica press tender
- Fluorspar recovery tender
- Scrap metal remelter - primary metal processing
- Heavy media separation tender - mineral and metal processing
- Tilting table tender - metal processing
- Salt processor
- Ore crushing worker
- Grinding and flotation tender
- Mica crusher tender
- Grinder and classifier tender
- Rock crusher tender - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Zinc vapour condenser
- Zinc billet caster
- Coke screen tender
- Ore screen tender
- Asbestos screen tender
- Dewaterer tender - primary metal processing
- Peat moss dehydrator tender
- Lead-melting furnace tender - metal processing
- Rotary kiln tender - primary metal processing
- Wire sheather - primary metal processing
- Hot strip roughing mill tender - primary metal processing
- Tandem roller - primary metal processing
- Hot strip finishing mill tender - primary metal processing
- Cone tender
- Flux-mixing machine tender - metal processing
- Diamond powder blender
- Metal mixer - primary metal processing
- Blender tender - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Bulk cement-blender tender
- Cement pumping tender
- Amalgamation process tender
- Flame annealing tender - primary metal processing
- Metal annealing tender
- Ingot header
- Asbestos dryer
- Coal separator
- Zinc chloride separator tender
- Ore separator tender - primary metal and mineral products processing
- Electrostatic separator tender - primary metal processing
- Roll table operator - primary metal processing
- Coke-screen and coke-blender tender
- Steel treater - primary metal processing
- Lead dust treater
- Slime treater - primary metal processing
- Copper ore slime treater
- Wet plant recovery equipment tender - primary metal processing
- Flotation cell tender - primary metal processing
- Kettle tender - primary metal processing
- Pot tender - primary metal processing
- Pan tender
- Tank tender - primary metal processing
- Aluminum electrolytic tank tender
- Precipitator tender - primary metal processing
- Thickener equipment tender - primary metal processing
- Red mud thickener tender
- Tailings thickener tender - primary metal processing
- Roller - primary metal processing
- Seamless steel billet piercer - primary metal processing
- Copper billet piercer
- Blast furnace tapper
- Coke by-products pump operator - primary metal processing
- Dental amalgam processor
- Rolling mill preparer - primary metal processing
- Reagent tender - primary metal processing
- Brine maker - mineral products processing
- Induration attendant - iron ore
- Iron ore pellet agglomerating attendant
- Spiral conveyor attendant
- Mica plate tender
- Discharge door attendant
- Salt refiner
- Gold recoverer
- Slime recoverer - primary metal processing
- Cadmium recoverer
- Mica sheet salvager
- Metal reclaimer
- Residual metal recoverer
- Precious metal recoverer
- Thallium recoverer
- Crusher setter
- Condenser setter - primary metal processing
- Roll setter - primary metal processing
- Pipe and tube roll setter - primary metal processing
- Rolling mill guide setter - metal processing
- Induction machine setter - primary metal processing
- Aluminum electrolytic tank reconditioner
- Pellet segregator - primary metal processing
- Wire drawer
- Wire sample former
- Machine wire drawer
- Hardener - primary metal processing
- Metal hardener - primary metal processing
Skill type
Manufacturing and utilities
Related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
Page evaluation