Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
What Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Do
Set up, operate, or tend machines to crush, grind, or polish materials, such as coal, glass, grain, stone, food, or rubber.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.4/5
- English Languageimportance 3.2/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.2/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Mechanicalimportance 2.9/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.6/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.3/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.1/5
- Health and Safety of Other Workers4.0/5
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers96% skill match
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals96% skill match
- Logging Equipment Operators96% skill match
- Printing Press Operators96% skill match
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders96% skill match
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators96% skill match
- Power Plant Operators96% skill match
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.9/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Instructingimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Cedar Rapids, IA14.61× national avg
- 2Jackson, TN10.23× national avg
- 3St. Joseph, MO-KS6.51× national avg
- 4Jonesboro, AR5.89× national avg
- 5Sioux City, IA-NE-SD5.45× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, HandLateral Move
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersLateral Move
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersLateral Move
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead PumpersCareer Change