Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Tube Operator

Sedentary work that does not exceed six hours of sitting in an eight-hour day represents a small window.  The DOT and the regulations define sedentary work as involving standing or walking not more than occasionally, 2.3 hours.  Sedentary work as depicted by a residual functional capacity question with a lower limit of 5.7 hours an upper limit of 6.0 hours constitutes a slender reed.  

 Understanding sedentary work rests on the difference between and and or.  Light work exists (1) when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; OR (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; AND/OR (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.  

Sedentary work exists when the work (1) when it does not require walking or standing to a significant degree; AND (2) when it requires sitting most of the time and does not involve pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; AND (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace but does not entail the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.  Transgressing the standing/walking, lifting/carrying, pushing/pulling with the arms or legs, or production rate pace strips away any hope for that sedentary label.  

The cadre of vocational experts rely on 16 different DOT codes in the sedentary range.  Ignoring obsolescence and industry, the question is whether the occupations are unskilled, sedentary, and do not exceed 6.0 hours of sitting in a full-time workday.  

16.  Tube Operator (DOT 239.687-014)

Couriers and messengers (SOC 43-5021) is an occupational group where the data conflicts.  Current OOH data describes couriers and messengers at circa 142,000 jobs.  The OES estimated just over 70,000 jobs.  The Occupational Requirements Survey does not report data for couriers and messengers in the 2020 data set.  The ORS does report data in the 2018 data set.  Because BLS reports both, we can still cite to the 2018 data set.  

The 2018 ORS reports that 81.8% of jobs represent unskilled work.  Couriers and messengers sit 50% of the day at the median, 75% of the workday at the 75th percentile, and 85% of the workday at the 90th percentile.  The ORS does not report strength (exertion).  Over half of the jobs do not sit enough to qualify as sedentary work (67% of the day) and at least 10% sit too much to qualify as sitting 6.0 hours per day.  

The O*NET OnLine provides additional insight.  Couriers and messengers never stand in 25% of jobs and never walk in 30% of jobs.  At least 25% of jobs appear to sit more than 6.0 hours per day based on the dearth of standing or walking.  

Exertional	%	Response
Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?	30	Continually or almost continually
	65	More than half the time

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?	22	Continually or almost continually
	30	More than half the time
	42	About half the time
	0	Less than half the time
	6	Never

Spend Time Walking and Running — How much does this job require walking and running?	32	Continually or almost continually
	1	More than half the time
	1	About half the time
	36	Less than half the time
	30	Never

The O*NET OnLine describes the components of skill level, almost 75% require up to one month of on-the-job training and about 35% do not require related work experience.  

On-the-Job Training
Duration	Value
None or short demonstration	2.91%
Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month	71.78%

Related Work Experience
Duration	Value
None	34.29%
Up to and including 1 month	0.71%

Couriers and messengers contains seven DOT codes, all unskilled.  Tube operator is the only sedentary code.  The number of jobs requiring less than or equal to 6.0 hours of sitting is probably small.  This DOT code also requires and obsolescence analysis.  

___________________________

Suggested Citation:

Lawrence Rohlfing, Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Tube Operator, California Social Security Attorney (February 11, 2022)  https://californiasocialsecurityattorney.blogspot.com   

Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Telephone Quotation Clerk

Sedentary work that does not exceed six hours of sitting in an eight-hour day represents a small window.  The DOT and the regulations define sedentary work as involving standing or walking not more than occasionally, 2.3 hours.  Sedentary work as depicted by a residual functional capacity question with a lower limit of 5.7 hours an upper limit of 6.0 hours constitutes a slender reed.  

 Understanding sedentary work rests on the difference between and and or.  Light work exists (1) when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; OR (2) when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; AND/OR (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.  

Sedentary work exists when the work (1) when it does not require walking or standing to a significant degree; AND (2) when it requires sitting most of the time and does not involve pushing and/or pulling of arm or leg controls; AND (3) when the job requires working at a production rate pace but does not entail the constant pushing and/or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.  Transgressing the standing/walking, lifting/carrying, pushing/pulling with the arms or legs, or production rate pace strips away any hope for that sedentary label.  

The cadre of vocational experts rely on 16 different DOT codes in the sedentary range.  Ignoring obsolescence and industry, the question is whether the occupations are unskilled, sedentary, and do not exceed 6.0 hours of sitting in a full-time workday.  

15.  Telephone Quotation Clerk (DOT 237.367-046)

Receptionists and information clerks (SOC 43-4171) is a mostly unskilled, mostly sedentary, occupational group of about 1 million jobs.  The Occupational Requirements Survey reports almost 60% of the jobs as unskilled and an overlapping 70% as sedentary.  

SVP
SVP	Value
SVP 1	2.6%
SVP 2	57.3%

 

Strength
Strength	Value
Sedentary	70.4%
Light Work	23.5%
Medium Work	3.9%

The hours of reported sitting and the percentage of the day sitting do not match up to eight-hour days in the ORS data set:

Hours Sitting Required
Hours of Day	Percentile
5.82	Mean
2.0	10th
4.75	25th
6.8	50th
7.2	75th
7.92	90th

Percent of Day Sitting Required
% Of Day	Percentile
<= 79.2%	Mean
<= 50%	10th
<= 75%	25th
<= 90%	50th
<= 95%	75th
<= 100%	90th

Assuming that the more sitting is required the more likely it is that the occupation requires sedentary exertion, our focus is on the 30th to the 100th percentiles.  Interpolating between 4.75 hours and 6.8 hours of sitting at the 25th and 50th percentiles, a reasonable inference that some jobs sit 6.0 hours per day as a maximum and engage in sedentary work exists.  Interpolating between 75% of the workday and 90% of the workday, the inference disappears.  

If we assume that the sedentary jobs exists above 27th percentile, that all of the light and medium jobs require the least sitting, there are no receptionists and information clerks, including telephone quotation clerk, that sit less than or equal to 6.0 hours per day.  This occupation also requires an industry analysis.  

___________________________

Suggested Citation:

Lawrence Rohlfing, Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Telephone Quotation Clerk, California Social Security Attorney (February 2, 2022)  https://californiasocialsecurityattorney.blogspot.com