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How exposed to AI is a Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaner?

Of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners, 1 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 19 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Drain CleanerDrain TechnicianPublic Works TechnicianSeptic CleanerSeptic Pump Truck DriverSeptic Tank Service TechnicianService TechnicianSewer Bricklayer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
22
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of 27
29k
people do this job in the US
17 of 61
least protected in construction

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

1
  • Update sewer maps and manhole charts

Only with software built on top

2
  • Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones
  • Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work

Cannot be sped up

19
  • Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment
  • Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages
  • Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls
  • Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins
  • Measure excavation sites, using plumbers' snakes, tapelines, or lengths of cutting heads within sewers, and mark areas for digging
  • Service, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment, machines, and attachments
  • Locate problems, using specially designed equipment, and mark where digging must occur to reach damaged tanks or pipes
  • Dig out sewer lines manually, using shovels
  • Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages
  • Withdraw cables from pipes and examine them for evidence of mud, roots, grease, and other deposits indicating broken or clogged sewer lines
  • Ensure that repaired sewer line joints are tightly sealed before backfilling begins
  • Rotate cleaning rods manually, using turning pins
  • Install rotary knives on flexible cables mounted on machine reels, according to the diameters of pipes to be cleaned
  • Start machines to feed revolving cables or rods into openings, stopping machines and changing knives to conform to pipe sizes
  • Cover repaired pipes with dirt, and pack backfilled excavations, using air and gasoline tampers
  • Cut damaged sections of pipe with cutters, remove broken sections from ditches, and replace pipe sections, using pipe sleeves
  • Requisition or order tools and equipment
  • Break asphalt and other pavement so that pipes can be accessed, using airhammers, picks, and shovels
  • Tap mainline sewers to install sewer saddles
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET 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. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.