Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Order Clerk, Food and Beverage

 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.  

12.  Order Clerk, Food and Beverage

Order clerk, food and beverage belongs to the occupational group of Order Clerks (SOC 43-4151) (order clerks).  Order clerks represent about 125,000 jobs in 11 DOT codes.  The ORS reports SVP 2 or less in 37/5% of jobs.  The ORS reports sedentary work in 71.2% of jobs, sitting 90% of the workday at the median but 81.2% of the workday at the mean.  The ORS reports sitting 70% of the workday at the 10th percentile and 75% of the workday at the 25th percentile.  Less than half the jobs have a sitting requirement of 6.0 hours or less.  Order clerks have a choice of sitting or standing in 88.8% of jobs.  

The statistical problem must account for the 16.9% of medium jobs and the 11.9% of jobs with no exertional demand specified.  Sitting does correlate with sedentary work.  The jobs that sit all day without a choice are more likely to represent sedentary jobs rather than light or medium work.  The ORS reports the lifting/carrying for order clerks:

Lifting/Carrying
Lifting/Carrying Type	Value
lifting or carrying no weight is required, seldom	11.1%
lifting or carrying negligible weight is required, seldom	40.9%
lifting or carrying >1 lb and less than or equal to 10 lbs is required, seldom	20.6%
lifting or carrying > 25 lbs and less than or equal to 50 lbs is required, seldom	16.9%
lifting or carrying no weight is required, occasionally	27.8%
lifting or carrying negligible weight is required, occasionally	51.8%
lifting or carrying >1 lb and less than or equal to 10 lbs is required, occasionally	16.7%
lifting or carrying no weight is required, frequently	88.7%
lifting or carrying no weight is required, constantly	100%

The missing data concerns that lifting/carrying seldom (less than 2% of the workday) more than 10 pounds and less than 25 pounds.  For those following along, this reflects the choice of Labor to redefine light work as lifting/carrying up to 25 pounds occasionally.  Why that data point does not meet OMB standards is not published.  

The O*NET OnLine provides additional insight into order clerks as qualifying unskilled sedentary work.  Excluding part-time work eliminates very few jobs:

Duration of Typical Work Week
Hours	Value
Less Than 40 Hours	4.05%
40 Hours	67.6%
More Than 40 Hours	28.2%

The incumbent reports of sitting, standing, and walking suggest more light/medium and fewer sedentary jobs:

Exertional	%	Response
Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?	41	Continually or almost continually
	48	More than half the time
	10	About half the time
	2	Less than half the time
	0	Never
Spend Time Standing — How much does this job require standing?	0	Continually or almost continually
	2	More than half the time
	5	About half the time
	85	Less than half the time
	8	Never
Spend Time Walking and Running — How much does this job require walking and running?	0	Continually or almost continually
	5	More than half the time
	25	About half the time
	59	Less than half the time
	11	Never

Using the OOH jobs numbers (133,900) and the ORS SVP requirements, the number of unskilled order clerks drops to 50,000 jobs.  Accounting for sedentary jobs and treating skill and exertion as independent variables reduces the number to 36,000 jobs.  Two-thirds of the jobs require sitting more than 6.0 hours per day leaving about 12,000 jobs.  

The key to order clerk, food and beverage rests elsewhere.  It is not simple (reasoning level 3) and requires constant contact with others in most jobs and frequent contact with others in the balance of jobs per the O*NET.  Order clerk, food and beverage requires teamwork in all but 1% of jobs, again per the O*NET.  This occupation would also require examination of the industries in which it exists, hotel and restaurant according to the DOT.  Where other unskilled sedentary work exists and the requirements of those jobs in the DOT scheme is unknown.  The DOT-SOC crosswalk lists 8 sedentary DOT codes that require skills.  This occupational group contains occupations not detailed in the DOT.  

___________________________

Suggested Citation:

Lawrence Rohlfing, Common DOT Codes -- Sedentary Unskilled -- Order Clerk, Food and Beverage, California Social Security Attorney (January 1, 2022)  https://californiasocialsecurityattorney.blogspot.com    

Order Clerk, food and Beverage - No; Sedentary Unskilled Order Clerks - Yes.

A go-to occupation for vocational experts is order clerk, food and beverage.  Here is the DOT:

ORDER CLERK, FOOD AND BEVERAGE

209.567-014

DOT: 209.567-014 ORDER CLERK, FOOD AND BEVERAGE (hotel & rest.)

Takes food and beverage orders over telephone or intercom system and records order on ticket: Records order and time received on ticket to ensure prompt service, using time-stamping device. Suggests menu items, and substitutions for items not available, and answers questions regarding food or service. Distributes order tickets or calls out order to kitchen employees. May collect charge vouchers and cash for service and keep record of transactions. May be designated according to type of order handled as Telephone-Order Clerk, Drive-In (hotel & rest.); Telephone-Order Clerk, Room Service (hotel & rest.).

GOE: 07.04.02 STRENGTH: S GED: R3 M1 L2 SVP: 2 DLU: 77

DOT-O*NET Crosswalk: https://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/DOT?s=209.567-014&g=GO

This occupation requires reasoning level 3. It is not simple.

ORDER CLERK, FOOD AND BEVERAGE

209.567-014

TEMPERAMENTS:

Temperament(s): T P

Dealing with PEOPLE: Involves interpersonal relationships in job situations beyond receiving work instructions.

Attaining Precise Set Limits, TOLERANCES, and Standards: Involves adhering to and achieving exact levels of performance, using precision measuring instruments, tools, and machines to attain precise dimensions; preparing exact verbal and numerical records; and complying with precise instruments and specifications for materials, methods, procedures, and techniques to attain specified standards.

The Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs puts the temperaments at "attaining precise set limits and tolerances" and "dealing with people beyond receiving instructions." Order clerk, food and beverage is not repetitive.

The number of jobs relatively high per the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

43-4151 – Order clerks

Typical Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience in a related occupation	None
On the job training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of jobs, 2016	179,000

Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Information clerks, on the Internet at Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Information clerks, on the Internet at  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/information-clerks.htm

Employment Projections by Industry:

Employment Projections by Industry: https://www.bls.gov/emp/ind-occ-matrix/occ-xlsx/occ-43-4151.xlsx 

Most order clerks, food and beverage work full-time. The O*NET OnLine suggests that most sit enough to be classified as sedentary, but the O*NET does not draw that conclusion.

43-4151.00 – Order Clerks

Structural Job Characteristics	%	Response
Duration of Typical Work Week — Number of hours typically worked in one week.	28	More than 40 hours
	68	40 hours
	4	Less than 40 hours
Exertional	%	Response
Spend Time Sitting — How much does this job require sitting?	41	Continually or almost continually
	48	More than half the time
	10	About half the time
	2	Less than half the time
	0	Never
	%	Response
Spend Time Standing — How much does this job require standing?	0	Continually or almost continually
	2	More than half the time
	5	About half the time
	85	Less than half the time
	8	Never
	%	Response
Spend Time Walking and Running — How much does this job require walking and running?	0	Continually or almost continually
	5	More than half the time
	25	About half the time
	59	Less than half the time
	11	Never

The ORS does address Order Clerks.

43-4151.00 – Order Clerks

Series ID: ORUV1000072400000065

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of order clerks; svp is beyond short demonstration, up to & including 1 month

Requirement: Education, Training, And Experience

Occupation: Order Clerks

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

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	40.2

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUV1000072400000065

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000661

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of order clerks; strength is sedentary

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: strength is sedentary

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	78.8

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000661

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000134

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; hours of sitting (25th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: hours of sitting (25th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	4.8

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000134

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000135

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; hours of sitting (50th percentile – median)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: hours of sitting (50th percentile – median)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	7

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000135

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000136

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; hours of sitting (75th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: hours of sitting (75th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	7.5

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000136

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000137

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; hours of sitting (90th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: hours of sitting (90th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	8

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000137

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000999

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; % of day sitting is required (25th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: % of day sitting is required (25th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	75

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000999

Series ID: ORUP1000072400001000

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; % of day sitting is required (50th percentile – median)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: % of day sitting is required (50th percentile – median)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	90

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400001000

Series ID: ORUP1000072400001001

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; % of day sitting is required (75th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: % of day sitting is required (75th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	95

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400001001

Series ID: ORUP1000072400001002

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: order clerks; % of day sitting is required (90th percentile)

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: % of day sitting is required (90th percentile)

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	100

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400001002

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000139

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of order clerks; sitting vs. standing/walking at will is allowed

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: sitting vs. standing/walking at will is allowed

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	71.5

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000139

Series ID: ORUP1000072400000140

Not seasonally adjusted

Series Title: % of order clerks; sitting vs. standing/walking at will is not allowed

Requirement: Physical Demands

Occupation: Order Clerks

Estimate: sitting vs. standing/walking at will is not allowed

Year	Period	Estimate
2018	Annual	28.5

https://beta.bls.gov/dataViewer/view/timeseries/ORUP1000072400000140

Order clerks engage in unskilled work in 40.8% of jobs and sedentary work in 78.8% of jobs.  With the 50th percentile at 90% of the work day and the 25th percentile at 75% of the work day sitting, we could infer that as few as 3.8% of the jobs require sitting six hours a day or less.  Assuming stair steps in requirements, a vocational expert could feebly contend that 28.8% of the jobs have that six hours of sitting characteristic.  That probably is not true. 

We put the data together in the Occu Collect Calculator:

43-4151.00 – Order Clerks

Duration of Typical Work Week Calculations
Hours	Value	Jobs	Calculation
Less Than 40 Hours	4.05%	179,000	7,250
40 Hours	67.6%	179,000	121,004
More Than 40 Hours	28.2%	179,000	50,478
FULL-TIME			171,482

O*NET Resource Center and OOH

Unskilled Calculations
Criteria	Value	Jobs	Calculation
On-the-Job Training ≤ 30 days	75.55%	179,000	135,234
Related Work Experience ≤ 30 days	52.77%	179,000	94,458
Education Level ≤ High School	67.81%	179,000	121,380
UNSKILLED			94,458

O*NET Resource Center and OOH

SVP Calculations
SVP	Value	Jobs	Calculation
SVP 2	40.2%	179,000	71,958
UNSKILLED			71,958

ORS and OOH

Sitting Frequently or Constantly Calculations
Frequency	Value	Jobs	Calculation
Constantly	41%	179,000	73,390
Frequently	48%	179,000	85,920
SEDENTARY SITTING			159,310

O*NET OnLine and OOH

Sitting Frequently or Constantly Calculations
Frequency	Value	Jobs	Calculation
Constantly	78.8%	179,000	141,052
Frequently	0%	179,000	0
SEDENTARY	78.8%	179,000	141,052

ORS and OOH

Order clerks
Total reported jobs			179,000
Full-time	95.8%	179,000	171,482
Unskilled	40.2%	171,482	58,936
Sedentary	78.8%	58,936	54,321

Frequent sitting is the single point at 5.33 hours per day. If the person stand/walks less than 2.67 hours per day, then that person stands more than two-thirds of the day. The number of order clerks that sit six hours per day but at least 5.33 hours per day is 1,650 (58,936 x 2.8%). The number of order clerks that engage in sedentary unskilled work with unlimited sitting is 54,321.

This analysis user Order Clerk, Food and Beverage as an example of sedentary unskilled order clerks in the national economy.  Order clerks in the Accommodation and Food Services industry sector (NAICS 720000) employs 1,400 order clerks.  That sector includes hotels and restaurants.  The number of unskilled sedentary order clerks represents that kind of work across all industries.  Watch for the buzz word "example" or a synonym in the vocational expert's testimony.