Glossary
Chemical Plant Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential chemical plant operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key chemical plant operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in chemical plant operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Batch
- A set amount of product made at once.
- Batch record
- Documentation of a batch.
- Charge
- Adding materials to a vessel.
- Confined space
- A space with limited entry and exit.
- Continuous process
- Nonstop production.
- Exothermic
- A reaction that releases heat.
- Inerting
- Using nitrogen to prevent fires.
- Interlock
- An automatic safety control.
- LOTO
- Lockout/tagout.
- PSM
- Process safety management.
- Reactor
- A vessel where reactions happen.
- Relief system
- Protects vessels from overpressure.
- Runaway reaction
- An uncontrolled reaction.
- SDS
- Safety Data Sheet.
- Spec
- Product specification.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Chemical Plant Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Chemical Plant Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.