Helpers--Production Workers Require Medium Exertion

 Helpers-Production Workers (SOC 51-9198) is a large group of occupations. The O*NET Crosswalk beaks down:

553 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report
12 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report are Sedentary
      2 are SVP 1      10 are SVP 2
176 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report are Light
      31 are SVP 1      126 are SVP 2
221 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report are Medium
      16 are SVP 1      156 are SVP 2
137 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report are Heavy
      12 are SVP 1      93 are SVP 2
7 DOT title(s) in this DOT-SOC O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report are Very Heavy
      1 are SVP 1      5 are SVP 2

Users should consult the O*Net Alternate Titles Report for a more comprehensive list of occupations within this group.

 With 553 DOT codes contains 452 SVP 1 and 2 occupations. The 2023 EP X OEWS Job Numbers Crosswalk Report 

51-9198 - Helpers--production workers
Sector & Sub Sector - 2 & 3 Digit NAICS

NAICS	INDUSTRY	EP 2023 #'s	OEWS 2023 #'s
TE1000	Total employment	183,500	181,810
TE1000	Self-employed workers	1,700	No Data
TE1000	Total wage and salary employment	181,800	No Data

The Employment Projections (EP) "total employment" includes self-employed people. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) does not include self-employed people. The two BLS data sources agree that Helpers--Production Workers represent 181,800 jobs. The ORS 2018/2023/2024 report for physical requirements states:

51-9198 - Helpers--production workers

Physical Demands (values are Percentages, Pounds, or Hours)

Occupational Requirements – strength, exertion	2018	2023	2024
strength required is sedentary	-	<5	<0.5
strength required is light work	-	12.9	4.9
strength required is medium work	49.2	76.5	91.8
strength required is heavy work	-	10	3.4

While the 2023 data set suggests 12.9% of jobs represent light work, the 2024 data set reports 4.9%  represent light work. We also know that the ORS defines light work as occasional lifting/carrying up to 25 pounds. We next examine the specific vocational preparation (SVP) for helpers--production workers. 

51-9198 - Helpers--production workers

Education, Training, And Experience (values are Percentages or Days)

Occupational Requirements – specific vocational preparation	2018	2023	2024
specific vocational preparation is short demonstration only	-	5.7	-
specific vocational preparation is beyond short demonstration through 1 month	68.3	88.4	71.1

Most helpers--production workers engage in unskilled work. The OccuCollect Calculator puts the data together for 2023:

51-9198 - Helpers--Production Workers

Job Number Calculations
# of OEWS Jobs	% Full-Time	# Full-Time
181,810	94%	170,901
# of Jobs	% Unskilled	# Unskilled
170,901	94.1%	160,818
# of Jobs	% Light	# Light
160,818	12.9%	20,746

and for 2024:

51-9198 - Helpers--Production Workers

Job Number Calculations
# of OEWS Jobs	% Full-Time	# Full-Time
181,810	94%	170,901
# of Jobs	% Unskilled	# Unskilled
170,901	71.1%	121,511
# of Jobs	% Light	# Light
121,511	4.9%	5,954

Whether the witness uses the 2023 data set claiming 20,000 jobs or the 2024 data set claiming 6,000 jobs, that identification covers 157 DOT codes. The number of jobs must be reduced to reflect the greater lifting requirements in the modern definition of light work and eroded again for any additional exertional and non-exertional limitations. 

A sample of the light unskilled DOT codes from the 2019 O*NET-SOC to DOT Crosswalk Report:

Reporting O*NET Dataset 29.1

51-9198.00-Helpers--Production Workers

DOT Code	DOT Title	SVP	Strength
230.687-010	Advertising-Material Distributor	2	L
369.687-018	Folder	2	L
520.687-046	Mexican Food Maker, Hand	2	L
520.687-066	Blending-Tank Tender Helper	2	L
529.687-010	Basket Filler	1	L

These occupations individually represent a rare incidence of work in the national economy.

Don't let vocational witnesses identify codes within SOC 51-9198 without submitting the rebuttal evidence from the ORS and O*NET applied to the EP or OEWS. 

___________________________

Suggested Citation:

Lawrence Rohlfing, Helpers--Production Workers Require Medium Exertion, California Social Security Attorney (January 7, 2025) https://californiasocialsecurityattorney.blogspot.com

The author has been AV-rated since 2000 and listed in Super Lawyers since 2008.