Chemicals/Plastics Processing Workers

Individuals who operate the machines and control the processes that are used when making chemicals, many of which are an essential component of manufacturing and are vital to industries such as construction, motor vehicles, paper, electronics, transportation, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Although some chemical manufacturers produce and sell consumer products such as soap, bleach, fertilizer and cosmetics, most chemical products are used as intermediate products for other goods. Chemical manufacturing is divided into seven segments: basic chemicals including various petrochemicals, gases, dyes and pigments; synthetic materials including resin, synthetic rubber, and artificial and synthetic fibers and filaments; agricultural chemicals including pesticides, fertilizer and other agricultural chemicals; paint, coating and adhesives; cleaning preparations including soap, cleaning compounds and toilet preparations; pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing; and other chemical products including explosives, printing ink, film, toners, matches and other miscellaneous chemicals.