Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Onet SOC Code 51-9061.00 Career Description: Inspect, test, sort, sample, or weigh nonagricultural raw materials or processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for defects, wear, and deviations from specifications. May use precision measuring instruments and complex test equipment. Related Clusters: Architecture and Construction Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Career Summary:

• Discard or reject products, materials, and equipment not meeting specifications.
• Analyze and interpret blueprints, data, manuals, and other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment and certification methods, formulas, and measuring instruments required.
• Inspect, test, or measure materials, products, installations, and work for conformance to specifications.
• Notify supervisors and other personnel of production problems, and assist in identifying and correcting these problems.
• Discuss inspection results with those responsible for products, and recommend necessary corrective actions.
• Record inspection or test data, such as weights, temperatures, grades, or moisture content, and quantities inspected or graded.
• Mark items with details such as grade and acceptance or rejection status.
• Observe and monitor production operations and equipment to ensure conformance to specifications and make or order necessary process or assembly adjustments.
• Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or micrometers.
• Analyze test data and make computations as necessary to determine test results.
• Collect or select samples for testing or for use as models.
• Check arriving materials to ensure that they match purchase orders and submit discrepancy reports when problems are found.
• Compare colors, shapes, textures, or grades of products or materials with color charts, templates, or samples to verify conformance to standards.
• Write test and inspection reports describing results, recommendations, and needed repairs.
• Read dials and meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels.
• Remove defects, such as chips and burrs, and lap corroded or pitted surfaces.
• Adjust, clean, or repair products or processing equipment to correct defects found during inspections.
• Clean, maintain, repair, and calibrate measuring instruments and test equipment such as dial indicators, fixed gauges, and height gauges.
• Stack and arrange tested products for further processing, shipping, or packaging and transport products to other work stations as necessary.
• Fabricate, install, position, or connect components, parts, finished products, or instruments for testing or operational purposes.
• Supervise testing or drilling activities.
• Grade, classify, and sort products according to sizes, weights, colors, or other specifications.
• Position products, components, or parts for testing, or direct other workers to position them.
• Make minor adjustments to equipment, such as turning setscrews to calibrate instruments to required tolerances.
• Set controls, start and monitor machines that automatically measure, sort, or inspect products.
• Interpret legal requirements, provide safety information, and recommend compliance procedures to contractors, craft workers, engineers, and property owners.
• Compute defect percentages or averages, using formulas and calculators, and prepare reports of inspection or test findings.
• Weigh materials, products, containers, or samples to verify packaging weights and ingredient quantities, or to determine sorting.
• Administer tests to engineers and operators to assess whether they are qualified to use equipment.
• Disassemble defective parts and components, such as inaccurate or worn gauges and measuring instruments, using hand tools.
• Compute usable amounts of items in shipments and determine prices, based on quantities and grade assessments.

• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

• A high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for this occupation. Employers increasingly seek applicants with at least two years of postsecondary education or enrollment in an apprenticeship program. Coursework at a Tennessee technology center or community college should include construction technology, blueprint reading, mathematics, English, and building inspection. On-the-job training may include inspection techniques using established company procedures, codes, ordinances, regulations, contract specifications, and record keeping.

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Responsibility - Workers on this job make decisions on their own.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Independence - Workers on this job do their work alone.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.
• Supervision, Technical - Workers on this job have supervisors who train their workers well.
• Autonomy - Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
• Ability Utilization - Workers on this job make use of their individual abilities.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Independence-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employs to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website