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Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

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: Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, & Systems Assemblers Calibration Technologists & Technicians Electrical & Electronic Equipment Assemblers Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Industries: Manufacturing

Summary
Details

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

Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.

Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

58450/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

28.1/hr

Currently Employed

13,120

Yearly Projected Openings

1650

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Self Control
Cooperation
Independence
Stress Tolerance

Accelerometers
Ammeters
Bench scales
Beta gauge measuring systems
Binocular light compound microscopes
Calibrated resistance measuring equipment
Calipers
Circuit tester
Comparators
Compression testers
Conductivity meters
Coordinate measuring machines CMM
Creep testers
Depth gauges
Digital testers
Ductility testing machines
Eddy current examination equipment
Electrical frequency meters
Fatigue testers
Force or torque sensors
Forklifts
Frequency counters or timer or dividers
Go or no go gauge
Hardness testers
Height gauges
Hipot testers
Hydraulic pumps
Impact hammers
Impact testers
Impedance meters
Integrated circuit testers
Interferometers
Laser measuring systems
Leak testing equipment
Level generators
Lifts
Liquid penetrant examination equipment
Magnetic particle examination equipment
Metallurgical microscopes
Micrometers
Moisture meters
Multimeters
Optical flats
Oscilloscopes
Personal computers
Pin gauge
Plotter printers
Power meters
Reflectometers
Refrigerated and heated walk in environmental or growth chambers
Resistance thermometers
Rulers
Shear strength testers
Shock testing apparatus
Signal conditioners
Signal generators
Sorters
Spectrometers
Strain gauges
Tension testers
Thickness measuring devices
Thread counters or gauges
Track cranes
Ultrasonic examination equipment
Vibration testers
Viscosimeters
Voltage or current meters
X ray radiography examination equipment

Analytical or scientific software
Computer aided design CAD software
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
Content workflow software
Data base management system software
Data base user interface and query software
Desktop communications software
Document management software
Electronic mail software
Enterprise application integration software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Industrial control software
Label making software
Medical software
Object or component oriented development software
Office suite software
Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
Presentation software
Process mapping and design software
Program testing software
Spreadsheet software
Word processing software

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