Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
51-6061.00

Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

Sample of reported job titles: Beck Operator, Dye House Worker, Dye Line Operator, Dye Machine Operator, Dye Operator, Dye Tub Operator, Dyer, Jet Dyeing Machine Operator, Machine Operator (Machine Op), Tub Operator

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing.
  • Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods.
  • Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly.
  • Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions.
  • Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges.
  • Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results.
  • Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards.
  • Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed.
  • Soak specified textile products for designated times.
  • Inspect machinery to determine necessary adjustments and repairs.
  • Confer with coworkers to get information about order details, processing plans, or problems that occur.
  • Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing.
  • Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed.
  • Remove dyed articles from tanks and machines for drying and further processing.
  • Study guides, charts, and specification sheets, and confer with supervisors to determine machine setup requirements.
  • Prepare dyeing machines for production runs, and conduct test runs of machines to ensure their proper operation.
  • Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment.
  • Test solutions used to process textile goods to detect variations from standards.
  • Record production information such as fabric yardage processed, temperature readings, fabric tensions, and machine speeds.
  • Thread ends of cloth or twine through specified sections of equipment prior to processing.
  • Mount rolls of cloth on machines, using hoists, or place textile goods in machines or pieces of equipment.
  • Install, level, and align components such as gears, chains, dies, cutters, and needles.
  • Perform machine maintenance, such as cleaning and oiling equipment, and repair or replace worn or defective parts.
  • Creel machines with bobbins or twine.

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Technology Skills

Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In demand
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

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Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

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Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Exposed to Contaminants — 90% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Standing — 71% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions — 70% responded “Every day.”
  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled — 83% responded “Every day.”
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 85% responded “Every day.”
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment — 53% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 54% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Contact With Others — 47% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Spend Time Walking and Running — 58% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures — 58% responded “Every day.”
  • Work With Work Group or Team — 58% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Exposed to Hazardous Conditions — 66% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 23% responded “More than half the time.”
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety — 44% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 65% responded “Every day.”
  • Exposed to Hazardous Equipment — 58% responded “Every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 70% responded “Every day.”
  • Time Pressure — 42% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 68% responded “Some freedom.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 39% responded “Very important results.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 35% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Physical Proximity — 49% responded “Slightly close (e.g., shared office).”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 34% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Structured versus Unstructured Work — 40% responded “Some freedom.”
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results — 27% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
  • Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings — 43% responded “Every day.”
  • Level of Competition — 40% responded “Moderately competitive.”
  • Consequence of Error — 28% responded “Not serious at all.”

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Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
SVP Range
(4.0 to < 6.0)

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Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications

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Apprenticeship Opportunities

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov external site to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

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Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Operations Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • 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.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

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Knowledge

  • Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

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Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 56%
     
    responded: High school diploma or equivalent requiredmore info
  • 35%
     
    responded: Less than high school diploma required
  • 6%
     
    responded: Associate’s degree required

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Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Visual Color Discrimination — The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • 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).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • 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.
  • Rate Control — The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • 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.
  • Reaction Time — The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Static Strength — The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Trunk Strength — The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

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Interests

Interest code: RC
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler at My Next Move.
  • Realistic — Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

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Work Values

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

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Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  • Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  • Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

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Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2022)
$15.71 hourly, $32,680 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2022)
7,000 employees
Projected growth (2022-2032)
Decline (-2% or lower)
Projected job openings (2022-2032)
700
State trends
Top industries (2022)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 wage data external site and 2022-2032 employment projections external site. “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2022-2032). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

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Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

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More Information

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Sources of Additional Information

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

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