PathLensSOUTH AFRICA · CLEARER PATHS. BRIGHTER OPTIONS.
Boiler or Engine Operator
OFO Code: 718201
Last checked 7 October 2026
1. Occupation identity
- OFO code
- 718201
- Occupation
- Boiler or Engine Operator
- Classification
- OFO 2021
- Major group
- PLANT AND MACHINE OPERATORS AND ASSEMBLERS
- Unit group
- 7182 · Steam Engine and Boiler Operators
Official description
Steam engine and boiler operators maintain and operate various types of steam engines, boilers, turbines and auxiliary equipment to provide power and other utility services for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, at work sites and aboard ships or self-propelled vessels.
More official OFO detail
Specialisations: Motorman / Motorwoman (Fluids Drilling), Air-conditioning / Refrigeration Plant Operator, Air Compressor Operator, Steam Engine Operator, Ship's Boiler Operator, Thermal Plant Operator, Marine Engine Driver, Boiler Tender, Steam Boilerman Fireman, Stoker
- Analyzing and recording instrument readings, troubleshooting and performing minor repairs to prevent equipment or system failure
- Monitoring and inspecting performance of equipment for efficient operation and ensuring boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels are maintained at required levels
- Operating and maintaining off-loading liquid pumps and valves
- Monitoring ship’s engine, machinery and equipment indicators, recording variables and reporting abnormalities to ship engineer officer on watch
- Operating, cleaning, lubricating and monitoring steam engines, boilers and auxiliary equipment such as pumps, compressors and air-conditioning equipment to supply and maintain steam and power for buildings, marine vessels or pneumatic tools
- Testing boiler water quality or arrange for testing, adjusting and taking necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits
- Firing coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps
2. Demand status
Demand evidence unavailable
No approved governed OIHD graph relationship is available on this deployment for this OFO code.
PathLens does not fall back to legacy specimen demand flags when governed evidence is unavailable.
A national demand signal is not a promise of a vacancy in your town.
3. Salary evidence
No approved governed salary observation or sourced snapshot salary record is available for this OFO code yet.
Open remuneration history & calculator →4. Quick EE check
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Answer three quick questions for a rough read. This is workforce context, not a hiring decision.
Select the employer size and your profile to get a quick read.
5. Qualification
Qualification evidence pending.
Understand NQF levels, institutions & recognition → Build my qualification pathway →6. Study funding
Check all funding options, eligibility & obligations →A funding match will only be shown once a recognised qualification or study route has been identified.
7. Industry, sector and provincial context
National occupation classification. Industry and provincial context are shown only where a separate official source supports the link.
No source-backed modern OFO↔SIC 7 industry link has been ingested for this occupation yet. PathLens does not infer one from the job title.
Browse the official South African industry classification →8. Next steps — official links
9. Decision tools
10. Sources for this page
- DHET Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO 2021) · Ingested · identity spine active
Canonical OFO identity data has been ingested and validated. 1511 occupation records are recorded in the ingest artifact. - DHET Occupations in High Demand · Validated pipeline · graph publication not confirmed
The governed OIHD pipeline is active, but a successful populated graph run is not currently confirmed on this deployment. - Critical Skills List · Monitored · occupation linkage pending
Official migration sources are monitored, but PathLens does not infer visa eligibility or occupation-level eligibility from monitoring alone. - QCTO qualifications and occupational certificates · Candidate staging ready · not published
Qualification staging and human review are implemented; no qualification↔OFO relationship is published without an explicit source identifier or governed human review. - Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Acquisition active · no approved evidence on this deployment
Official QLFS artifact discovery is active. Dataset-specific schema, weighting, reliability and review gates remain separate; a discovered artifact or executable estimator does not itself create a public claim. - SETA Sector Skills Plans / hard-to-fill vacancy tables · Partial · explicit source links only
PathLens preserves explicit source-backed SETA/activity links where present and does not infer modern SIC relationships from occupation titles.