Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
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.
Most important skills
- Quality Control Analysis
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
Key knowledge
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology
What the work involves
- Discard or reject products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications.
- Inspect, test, or measure materials, products, installations, or work for conformance to specifications.
- 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 or acceptance-rejection status.
- Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or micrometers.
- Collect or select samples for testing or for use as models.
- Write test or inspection reports describing results, recommendations, or needed repairs.
- Read dials or meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (69.8% of respondents)
- Related experience
- None (43.9%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (26.2%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | High | Higher on contact with others than 62% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 68% of occupations compared | 42% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared | 64% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 51% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Low | Lower on time pressure than 62% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Higher on conflict situations than 50% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 53% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | Low | Lower on consequence of error than 75% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: low
- Conflict situations: moderate
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0.55%
- Occasional contact with others: 0.55%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 42%
- Constant contact with others: 56.89%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 18.2%
- Fairly important: 24.56%
- Important: 7.48%
- Very important: 42.12%
- Extremely important: 7.65%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2020
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 13.73%
- Very important: 22.45%
- Extremely important: 63.81%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2020
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 11.22%
- Limited freedom: 15.13%
- Some freedom: 24.57%
- A lot of freedom: 49.09%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2020
Time pressure
- Never: 11.28%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 21.27%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 40.27%
- Every day: 27.18%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2020
Conflict situations
- Never: 14.97%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 26.5%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 19.62%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 37.88%
- Every day: 1.03%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 12.39%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 34.53%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 14.6%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 35.9%
- Every day: 2.58%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2020
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 32.96%
- Fairly serious: 24.37%
- Serious: 20.91%
- Very serious: 7.38%
- Extremely serious: 14.39%
n = 22, Incumbent 08/2020
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O*NET-SOC 51-9061.00 · SOC 51-9061 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8