Kosher Inspector -- Unskilled and No Use of the Hands

Kosher Inspector as a light, unskilled occupation is reported to still be identified by vocational experts in response to questions posed by an ALJ that include a significant limitation to either occasional or not use of the hands.  We first take a quick look at that the DOT/SCO summary available just for signing up at Occu Collect.

Summary Report

529.687-126 KOSHER INSPECTOR

Industry: (dairy products)                              Reasoning:       3
Strength: L                                                        Mathematics:   1
SVP:       2                                                          Language:        1
GOE:      06.03.02                                            Data:                6 - Significant
DLU:      77                                                        People:             8 - Not Significant
                                                                            Things:             7 - Not Significant

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

CL

BA

ST

KN

CO

CW

RE

HA

FI

FE

TA

HE

TS

NA

FA

DP

AC

CV

FV

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

N

O

F

N

N

N

F

N

SOC: 51-9061.00 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

We start with the observation of no reaching, handling, or fingering; reasoning level 3; occasional tasting; and frequent near acuity and color vision.  Kosher inspector exists in the dairy products industry.  The next step requires examination of the occupation in the Standard Occupation Classification group of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (SOC 51-9061.00).  The equally free DOT TO 2010 O*NET-SOC Crosswalk Report (new free report on Occu Collect) lists 782 DOT codes within 51-9061.  The subscription alternate titles reports puts the number of occupations found within 51-9061 at 1,145 occupations.

But we are talking about jobs, not occupations.  For jobs, we start with the Occupational Outlook Handbook:

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

Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Quality Control Inspectors, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/quality-control-inspectors.htm 

A half million jobs is a lot of jobs.  So we turn to the Occupational Requirements Survey to break the group down, since we abhor the equal distribution method.  We are concerned with light work, unskilled work, and the manipulative requirements of the work.  Those are the reports that we cull from the list.

Series ID: ORUV1000005A00000065

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; svp is beyond short demonstration, up to & including 1 month

Requirement: Education, Training, And Experience

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: svp is beyond short demonstration, up to & including 1 month

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	21.2

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUV1000005A00000065

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000662

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; strength is light work

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: strength is light work

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	21.5

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000662

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000332

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; gross manipulation is required, occasionally

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: gross manipulation is required, occasionally

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	16.3

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000332

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000333

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; gross manipulation is required, frequently

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: gross manipulation is required, frequently

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	29.2

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000333

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000334

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; gross manipulation is required, constantly

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: gross manipulation is required, constantly

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	46.4

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000334

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000771

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; gross manipulation is required

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: gross manipulation is required

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	100

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000771

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000345

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; gross manipulation is required, both hands

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: gross manipulation is required, both hands

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	100

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000345

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000349

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required, occasionally

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required, occasionally

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	54.3

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000349

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000350

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required, frequently

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required, frequently

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	18.4

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000350

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000351

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required, constantly

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required, constantly

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	19.3

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000351

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000769

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	95.1

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000769

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000361

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required, one hand

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required, one hand

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	36.3

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000361

Series ID: ORUP1000005A00000362

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers; fine manipulation is required, both hands

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Estimate: fine manipulation is required, both hands

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	58.9

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000005A00000362

The Occu Collect Calculator brings the full-time (O*NET OnLine), SVP (1, 2, or both), and exertion (where reported, not all occupations studied have the conclusion) to discover:

51-9061.00 - Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Job Number Calculations
# of Jobs	% Full-Time	# Full-Time
520,700	93%	484,251
# Full-Time	% SVP 2	# SVP 2
484,251	21%	101,693
# SVP 2	% Light	# Light
101,693	22%	22,372

Using Kosher Inspector as a simple example of unskilled light work as an inspector, tester, the number of jobs is 22,372 in every single light unskilled DOT or alternate title.  The gross manipulation data requires the inference that all jobs require use of the hands, 91.9% occasionally or more.  That leaves 8.1% as the unreported seldom range.  Inspectors, testers engage in no fine manipulation in 4.9% of jobs and one-handed fine manipulation in 36.3% of jobs.  Another 3.1% engage in what is most likely seldom fine manipulation. 

How many inspectors, testers engage in no manipulation?  The answer to that question is zero based on the gross manipulation statistics.  Fewer than 1,800 engage in seldom gross manipulation.  Fewer than 1,200 engage in no fine manipulation bilaterally but over 8,100 do not engage in fine manipulation with one hand.   

As described by the DOT/SCO, it is safe to conclude that no Kosher Inspector jobs exist as described.  Accounting for seldom use of the hands bilaterally, the number of jobs could reach 1,800 but is likely far less.  The assumption of 1,800 jobs assumes that the same jobs that do not require more than seldom gross also require seldom or no fine manipulation.  That is a statistical inference that is without foundation and probably not true.  

If you (or the ALJ) are still not satisfied, pull out the employment projections.  The EP informs us that the dairy product manufacturing industry group (NAICS 311500) employed approximately 3,300 inspectors, testers in the national economy as of 2016.  The always cumbersome Occupational Employment Statistics Query System puts the number of inspectors, testers in the dairy industry at 4,020.  Those two numbers exist at all exertion and skill levels, absent additional statistical data.

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