About This Career

Inspects, tests, sorts, samples, or weighs nonagricultural raw materials or processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for defects, wear, and deviations from specifications. May use precision measuring instruments and complex test equipment.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Quality Assurance pathway.

A person in this career:

• Discards or rejects products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications.
• Marks items with details, such as grade or acceptance-rejection status.
• Measures dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or micrometers.
• Notifies supervisors or other personnel of production problems.
• Inspects, tests, or measures materials, products, installations, or work for conformance to specifications.
• Writes test or inspection reports describing results, recommendations, or needed repairs.
• Recommends necessary corrective actions, based on inspection results.
• Reads dials or meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels.
• Makes minor adjustments to equipment, such as turning setscrews to calibrate instruments to required tolerances.
• Reads blueprints, data, manuals, or other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment methods, certification processes, formulas, or measuring instruments required.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work