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51-4051.00 · Task explorer

Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Operate or tend furnaces, such as gas, oil, coal, electric-arc or electric induction, open-hearth, or oxygen furnaces, to melt and refine metal before casting or to produce specified types of steel.

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This source lists 15 tasks, including 9 marked Core and 6 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2018.

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15 tasks shown

Core · Task 10163 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Regulate supplies of fuel and air, or control flow of electric current and water coolant to heat furnaces and adjust temperatures.

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Core · Task 10158 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Draw smelted metal samples from furnaces or kettles for analysis, and calculate types and amounts of materials needed to ensure that materials meet specifications.

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Core · Task 10162 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Weigh materials to be charged into furnaces, using scales.

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Core · Task 10160 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Record production data, and maintain production logs.

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Core · Task 10165 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Observe air and temperature gauges or metal color and fluidity, and turn fuel valves or adjust controls to maintain required temperatures.

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Core · Task 10161 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Operate controls to move or discharge metal workpieces from furnaces.

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Core · Task 10164 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Inspect furnaces and equipment to locate defects and wear.

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Core · Task 10159 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Drain, transfer, or remove molten metal from furnaces, and place it into molds, using hoists, pumps, or ladles.

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Core · Task 10168 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Kindle fires, and shovel fuel and other materials into furnaces or onto conveyors by hand, with hoists, or by directing crane operators.

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Supplemental · Task 10171 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Prepare material to load into furnaces, including cleaning, crushing, or applying chemicals, by using crushing machines, shovels, rakes, or sprayers.

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Supplemental · Task 10167 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Remove impurities from the surface of molten metal, using strainers.

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Supplemental · Task 10166 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Observe operations inside furnaces, using television screens, to ensure that problems do not occur.

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Supplemental · Task 10169 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Sprinkle chemicals over molten metal to bring impurities to the surface.

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Supplemental · Task 10170 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Direct work crews in the cleaning and repair of furnace walls and flooring.

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Supplemental · Task 10172 · 08/2018 · Incumbent

Scrape accumulations of metal oxides from floors, molds, and crucibles, and sift and store them for reclamation.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.