Saturday, September 15, 2018

Table Worker (fabrication, nec), Examined and Dismantled

The ALJ propounds a sedentary residual functional capacity with a reasoning level of 1.  The vocational expert identifies table worker (739.687-182) (fabrication, nec).  The DOT lists four occupations with the name table worker as the whole title or part of the title:

DOT Code
DOT Title
INDTTL
SVP
STRENGTH
GEDR
739.687-182
TABLE WORKER
(fabrication, nec)
2
S
1
521.687-102
PICKING-TABLE WORKER
(sugar & conf.)
1
L
1
783.687-030
TABLE WORKER
(leather prod.)
1
L
1
788.687-142
TABLE WORKER
(boot & shoe)
2
L
2

The one that meets the hypothetical is the sedentary table worker in the fabrication, not elsewhere classified industry.  The DOT has a short description of this occupation:

739.687-182 TABLE WORKER (fabrication, nec) alternate titles: spotter
    Examines squares (tiles) of felt-based linoleum material passing along on conveyor and replaces missing and substandard tiles. 
GOE: 06.03.02 STRENGTH: S GED: R1 M1 L1 SVP: 2 DLU: 77

What does "fabrication, nec" mean?  Going back to the DOT:
fabrication, nec--MISCELLANEOUS FABRICATED PRODUCTS, NOT ELSEWHERE
CLASSIFIED: This designation includes occupations concerned with
manufacturing and repairing miscellaneous items not included under
another specific designation. These include brooms and brushes of
all types; signs and advertising displays; burial caskets and
related materials, except those made from concrete; floor
coverings
, not elsewhere classified; fuel briquettes; candles;
articles, such as wigs, from human, animal, and artificial hair;
matches; models, patterns, mannequins, and wax figures; smoking
pipes; and umbrellas and canes.
That is a long list of examples of what workers manufacture in the fabrication, nec industry.  But the narrative for table worker does not include brooms, sign, caskets, briquettes, candle, matches, mannequins, pipes, umbrellas, or canes.  Table workers inspect linoleum, replacing missing and substandard tiles.  The NAICS Manual contains an explanation that helps:
326199 Tiles, floor (i.e., linoleum, rubber, vinyl), manufacturing
NAICS 326199 is a broad industry designation.  According to Census, the classification has examples:
326199 All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing plastics products (except film, sheet, bags, profile shapes, pipes, pipe fittings, laminates, foam products, bottles, and plumbing fixtures).
Illustrative Examples:Inflatable plastics swimming pool rafts and similar flotation devices manufacturingPlastics air mattresses manufacturingPlastics bottle caps and lids manufacturingPlastics bowls and bowl covers manufacturingPlastics clothes hangers manufacturingPlastics cups (except foam) manufacturingPlastics dinnerware (except foam) manufacturingPlastics gloves manufacturingPlastics hardware manufacturingPlastics siding manufacturingPlastics trash containers manufacturingResilient floor coverings (e.g., sheet, tiles) manufacturing
Now that we know a little about the occupation and the industry in which the DOT describes and studied its existence, we need the SOC code used in the modern Labor classification of the occupation.  I use Occu Collect.

DOT Code: 739.687-182
SOC Code: 51-9061.00

51-9061 Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

Typical Education Needed
High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
None
Typical On-The-Job Training Needed to Attain Competency
Moderate-term on-the-job training
2016 Employment
520,700


The first thing that pops out is that this occupational group typically requires a high school or equivalent education and is typically semi-skilled.  The employment projections report 21,000 jobs:
Employment by industry, occupation, and percent distribution, 2016 and projected 2026
51-9061 Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
(Employment in thousands)
Industries with fewer than 50 jobs, confidential data, or poor quality data are not displayed      
Industry
2016
Sort Order
Code
Title
Employment
Percent of industry
1
TE1000
Total employment
520.7
0.3
74
326100
Plastics product manufacturing
21.0
3.7
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Two problems arise from this observation: first, table worker is one of 18 DOT codes classified in inspectors, testers; second, this is the industry group, not the industry in which linoleum is manufactured.





CB1600A11
Geography Area Series: County Business Patterns
2016 Business Patterns


Meaning of

Paid employees
Geographic area name
2012 NAICS code
2012 NAICS code
Year
for pay period including March




12 (number)
United States
326199
All other plastics product manufacturing
2016
357,473

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 County Business Patterns.
1 of 1                                                                                     09/14/2018


A statistical estimate 13,226 is reasonable based on the percent of industry employment applied to the specific industry. Job Browser Pro uses the industry group reported by the EP and the industry group for rubber product manufacturing with 7 and 24 total DOT codes at the SOC/NAICS intersection. With those assumptions, JBP estimates less than 3,200 jobs as a table worker (fabrication, nec).

The all other plastic products manufacturing industry covers a wide range of products and no data suggests that those occupations employ sedentary inspectors.  The best conclusion to draw from this analysis is simple -- Job Browser Pro overestimates the number of jobs in the economy .



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