Environments are occasionally extremely hot, wet, and humid. Jobs involve reaching and standing for long periods. Food processing workers occasionally are exposed to odors, poor ventilation, and unpleasant sights. Hazards include cuts and burns. Many food processing workers belong to a union.
Wages vary according to training, experience and location.
Entry level wages may be lower. Pay varies by the type of work food a worker processes as well as the workers experience. There were 210 people employed as cooking machine operators and tenders in Indiana in 1998. An additional 210 people were employed as roasting, baking and drying machine operators and 430 people were employed as dairy processing equipment operators. These numbers include mostly jobs resulting from the replacement of current workers.