How to become a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender

Official title: Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders

Also called: Certified Refrigeration Operator, Compressor Operator, Engine Room Operator, Freezer Operator, Freezer Person, Ice Cream Maker, Machine Operator, Refrigeration Operator, Refrigeration Technician

Operate or tend equipment such as cooling and freezing units, refrigerators, batch freezers, and freezing tunnels, to cool or freeze products, food, blood plasma, and chemicals.

Main tasks

• Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
• Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
• Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
• Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
• Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
• Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Freezer Operator (Dairy).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $41,330 a year The middle half earn $36,380 to $49,550.
• About 7,700 people work in this job now, and about 8,100 are projected by 2035. (+5.9%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Etchers and Engravers
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
• Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender?

Ways in include: Freezer Operator (Dairy).

How much does a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $41,330 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $36,380 to $49,550.

Is a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 7,700 to about 8,100 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender?

Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Freezer Operator (Dairy).

Will AI change the work of a Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operator or Tender?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.