Packaging operators work in several places, including pharmaceutical companies. A pharmaceutical packaging operator’s primary responsibility is to operate machinery used in the packaging of medicines.
Depending on which area a pharmaceutical packaging operator is working for, he may be entrusted with primary packing duties or secondary ones.
The primary packing duties of these professionals involve operating machinery that packs actual pills and syrups in blister packs and bottles.
These medicines are then packed into cardboard boxes that constitute secondary duties.
Many companies require pharmaceutical packaging operators to perform both duties, so one should be able to employ expertise in both.
They start their day by getting packaging machinery ready for operations. Performing maintenance and initial checks on machinery is everyday work for them, after which they begin actual packaging operations.
They tend to machines by adjusting components to meet the varying packaging requirements of medicine lots and regulate the flow of services as required during the process.
What follows is a list of duties that are expected of a pharmaceutical packaging operator:
Pharmaceutical Packaging Operator Job Description
• Examine pharmaceutical packaging machinery at the beginning of each shift to ensure good working order
• Perform preventative and general maintenance on machines and components on a regular basis
• Start packaging machinery and test run it to ensure its working order
• Take pharmaceutical packaging orders from supervisor and ensure that they are followed accurately during the entirety of the packaging procedure
• Regulate components and dials to control the speed and type of packaging
• Observe machinery to ensure conformance to quality and set standards
• Maintain and upgrade knowledge of pharmaceutical packaging processes to ensure quality work
• Make-certain that input and output standards of the packaging machinery are met to avoid GIGO
• Observe packaging equipment to make sure that each drug is being packed in the correct packing along with associated literature
• Load correct labels and literature in packaging components to ensure accuracy of packaging
• Report any problems or deviations in packaging procedures on an immediate basis to ensure that incorrect packaging does not take place
• Prepare associated packaging documentation according to provided SOPs
• Check packaged drugs to make sure that they are boxed, labeled and categorized properly
• Assist in reconciling in-process and finished drug packaging and batch recording procedures
Pharmaceutical Packaging Operator Eligibility Criteria
It is not important for pharmaceutical packaging operators to possess more than a high school diploma, although some information on machine operations is necessary – the rest is usually taught on the job.