Will AI replace Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door?
Estimated risk score: 16 out of 100
Very low replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (0 to 35).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 39 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 49-9012.00 · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 4 of its 39 rated tasks; the first 2 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made.
- Record meter readings and installation data on meter cards, work orders, or field service orders, or enter data into hand-held computers.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 33 of its 39 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Disassemble and repair mechanical control devices or valves, such as regulators, thermostats, or hydrants, using power tools, hand tools, and cutting torches.
- Lubricate wearing surfaces of mechanical parts, using oils or other lubricants.
- Attach air hoses to meter inlets, plug outlets, and observe gauges for pressure losses to test internal seams for leaks.
- Calibrate instrumentation, such as meters, gauges, and regulators, for pressure, temperature, flow, and level.
- Clean internal compartments and moving parts, using rags and cleaning compounds.
- Clean plant growth, scale, paint, soil, or rust from meter housings, using wire brushes, scrapers, buffers, sandblasters, or cleaning compounds.
What the job is
Install, repair, and maintain mechanical regulating and controlling devices, such as electric meters, gas regulators, thermostats, safety and flow valves, and other mechanical governors.
Also called: Valve Technician, Measurement Technician, Instrument and Electrical Technician (I and E Technician), E/M Technician, Gas Pit Worker, Meter Mechanic, Meter Repairer, Meter Installer.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate