# Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders

> Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 51-6061.00
- **Summary:** Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.

## Aliases

- Dye Machine Operator
- Dye Operator
- Dyer
- Machine Operator (Machine Op)
- Beck Operator
- Dye House Worker
- Dye Line Operator
- Dye Tub Operator
- Jet Dyeing Machine Operator
- Tub Operator
- Ager
- Ager Operator

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing. | Core | 4.A.1.b.3.a |
| Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.h |
| Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.a |
| Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.g |
| Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.a |
| Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.2.e |
| Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.ag |
| Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.2.e |
| Remove dyed articles from tanks and machines for drying and further processing. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.a.2.an |
| Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.h |
| Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Soak specified textile products for designated times. | Core | 4.A.3.a.2.m |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Apply solutions to production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.ag |
| Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs. | 4.A.4.a.2.g |
| Operate garment treatment equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.h |
| Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.i |
| Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning. | 4.A.1.a.2.a |
| Conduct test runs of production equipment. | 4.A.1.b.2.l |
| Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed. | 4.A.1.a.2.a |
| Inspect textile products. | 4.A.1.b.2.f |
| Record operational or production data. | 4.A.3.b.6.h |
| Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products. | 4.A.1.b.2.c |
| Remove products or workpieces from production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.an |
| Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements. | 4.A.1.a.1.b |
| Exchange information with colleagues. | 4.A.4.a.2.c |
| Inspect production equipment. | 4.A.1.b.2.g |
| Sew clothing or other articles. | 4.A.3.a.2.e |
| Enter commands, instructions, or specifications into equipment. | 4.A.3.b.1.a |
| Immerse objects or workpieces in cleaning or coating solutions. | 4.A.3.a.2.m |
| Feed materials or products into or through equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Load materials into production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.f |
| Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment. | 4.A.3.a.3.h |
| Clean production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Repair production equipment or tools. | 4.A.3.b.4.c |
| Maintain production or processing equipment. | 4.A.3.b.5.a |
| Sew materials. | 4.A.3.a.2.e |
| Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.f |
| Install mechanical components in production equipment. | 4.A.3.a.2.at |
| Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes. | 4.A.1.b.3.a |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Operations Monitoring | transferable_skill | 3.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 3.62 |
| Control Precision | ability | 3.62 |
| Operation and Control | transferable_skill | 3.38 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.38 |
| Production and Processing | knowledge | 3.35 |
| Manual Dexterity | ability | 3.25 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | ability | 3.25 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 3.12 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | ability | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 3.12 |
| Rate Control | ability | 3.12 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 3 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 3 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3 |
| Flexibility of Closure | ability | 3 |
| Visualization | ability | 3 |
| Reaction Time | ability | 3 |
| Static Strength | ability | 3 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 3 |
| Far Vision | ability | 3 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | ability | 2.88 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 2.75 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 2.75 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 2.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 2.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 2.62 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Linux | Specialized Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Presentation Software | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Linux | Operating system software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| SAP software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | yes | no |
| Hewlett-Packard HP OpenVMS | Operating system software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 4.7 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.63 |
| Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled | 4.6 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.58 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 4.52 |
| Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment | 4.29 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 4.19 |
| Contact With Others | 4.17 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 4.07 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 4.06 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.05 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | 4 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 3.98 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 3.97 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 3.94 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Equipment | 3.87 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.84 |
| Time Pressure | 3.82 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 3.76 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.6 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 3.51 |
| Physical Proximity | 3.31 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.31 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.29 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.22 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 3.2 |
| Level of Competition | 3.04 |
| Consequence of Error | 3 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 2.94 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 2.88 |
| Telephone Conversations | 2.86 |
| Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions | 2.79 |
| Degree of Automation | 2.7 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 2.64 |
| Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions | 2.31 |
| Exposed to High Places | 2.18 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 2.08 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 2.03 |
| In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment | 1.99 |
| Conflict Situations | 1.97 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 55.98 |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 35.33 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 6.44 |
| Some College Courses | 2.26 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 6.77 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 4.18 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 3.16 |
| Mechanics/Electronics | specific_interest_area | 2.93 |
| Engineering | specific_interest_area | 2.21 |
| Dependability | work_style | 2.14 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 2.11 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 2.07 |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | specific_interest_area | 2.04 |
| Cautiousness | work_style | 1.99 |
| Physical Science | specific_interest_area | 1.53 |
| Mathematics/Statistics | specific_interest_area | 1.39 |
| Applied Arts and Design | specific_interest_area | 1.29 |
| Artistic | career_interest_type | 1.27 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 1.27 |
| Accounting | specific_interest_area | 1.24 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 51-9192.00 | role-51-9192-00 | Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders | Primary-Short |
| 51-9191.00 | role-51-9191-00 | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders | Primary-Short |
| 53-7063.00 | role-53-7063-00 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | Primary-Short |
| 51-9051.00 | role-51-9051-00 | Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders | Primary-Short |
| 51-6091.00 | role-51-6091-00 | Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | Primary-Short |
| 51-6011.00 | role-51-6011-00 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | Primary-Long |
| 51-9041.00 | role-51-9041-00 | Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 51-6063.00 | role-51-6063-00 | Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 51-9012.00 | role-51-9012-00 | Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 51-6062.00 | role-51-6062-00 | Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Primary-Long |
| 51-9196.00 | role-51-9196-00 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Supplemental |
| 51-9032.00 | role-51-9032-00 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Advanced Manufacturing | advanced-manufacturing |

## Education Level

- **Category:** High school diploma or equivalent

## Study Programs


## Market

- **Median Wage:** 37320
- **Mean Wage:** 39000
- **Pct10Wage:** 28990
- **Pct25Wage:** 32350
- **Pct75Wage:** 43230
- **Pct90Wage:** 47660
- **Employment:** 5820
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 5690 | 37330 | 11.81 |
| 44-45 | 44-45 | Retail Trade | Sector |  | 25720 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-33 | 31-33 | Manufacturing | Sector | 5690 | 11.81 |
- **Count:** 2

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.97 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -0.8609312 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -0.8292715 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -0.9229649 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 26
- **Percentile:** 24
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 23 | felten_aioe |
| 23 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 31 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -0.8609312 | 23 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.18421052631578946 | 23 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.10444538128352407 | 31 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.97
- **Percentile:** 94
- **Band:** High
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.13157894736842105
- **Beta:** 0.15789473684210525
- **Gamma:** 0.18421052631578946

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment. | 0.0019514479743970028 | 4.37 |
| Test solutions used to process textile goods to detect variations from standards. | 0.0018487401862708444 | 4.37 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** -10.1
- **Growth Percentile:** 6
- **Direction:** Declining
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 0.7
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 11
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 6.2
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 5.5

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 1
- **Task Count:** 1
- **Total Sample:** 152
- **Autonomy Median:** 3
- **Dominant Collaboration:** none
- **Automation Share:** 40.13
- **Augmentation Share:** 23.69
- **Work Use Percent:** 28.29

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| none | 34.21 |
| directive | 28.29 |
| learning | 13.82 |
| feedback loop | 11.84 |
| task iteration | 9.87 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| personal | 61.84 |
| work | 28.29 |
| coursework | 9.87 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment. | 0.015201900237529691 | none | 3 | 152 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment. | 88.81578947368422 | 152 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Help me with this part of my job: key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment | none |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 23
- **Skills:** 37
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 8
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** c745da35cd0d4232