Home / Tasks / Evaluate quality of materials or products
In 4 of the 23 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 19, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 12m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 5.0 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
Every job that does this
Each job words the task its own way. Minutes are that job's estimate for a typical shift; the label is the evidence for that job's version.
| Job and its version of the task | Per shift | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical TechniciansMonitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications. | 50m | No evidence yet |
| Team AssemblersPerform quality checks on products and parts. | 49m | No evidence yet |
| Gem and Diamond WorkersAssign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems. | 47m | No evidence yet |
| Food Scientists and TechnologistsCheck raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. | 42m | Robots |
| Water Resource SpecialistsConduct, or oversee the conduct of, chemical, physical, and biological water quality monitoring or sampling to ensure compliance with water quality standards. | 32m | Robots |
| Commercial and Industrial DesignersEvaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics. | 29m | No evidence yet |
| Costume AttendantsExamine costume fit on cast members and sketch or write notes for alterations. | 26m | No evidence yet |
| Food Science TechniciansTaste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics. | 25m | No evidence yet |
| Industrial Production ManagersSet and monitor product standards, examining samples of raw products or directing testing during processing, to ensure finished products are of prescribed quality. | 21m | No evidence yet |
| Quality Control AnalystsPerform visual inspections of finished products. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Biomass Plant TechniciansAssess quality of biomass feedstock. | 12m | Robots |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersDiscard or reject products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Printing Press OperatorsVerify that paper and ink meet the specifications for a given job. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersReject defective products and readjust equipment to eliminate problems. | 11m | No evidence yet |
| Supply Chain ManagersEvaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory. | 11m | No evidence yet |
| Quality Control Systems ManagersCollect and analyze production samples to evaluate quality. | 11m | No evidence yet |
| TapersCheck adhesives to ensure that they will work and will remain durable. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersGrade stones based on their color, perfection, and quality of cut. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Shoe and Leather Workers and RepairersCheck the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Biofuels Processing TechniciansAssess the quality of biofuels additives for reprocessing. | 6m | Robots |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving WorkersEvaluate new products for usefulness and suitability. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Biofuels Production ManagersDraw samples of biofuels products or secondary by-products for quality control testing. | 5m | No evidence yet |
| Food Service ManagersTest cooked food by tasting and smelling it to ensure palatability and flavor conformity. | 5m | No evidence yet |
How to read this
This task type comes from O*NET's detailed work activities, which link similar tasks across jobs. A label applies to one job's version of the task: AI use comes from real AI conversations (Anthropic Economic Index) and robot evidence from deployments in real workplaces. "No evidence yet" may just mean the task is rare in the data. How we keep time.
See all 250 shared tasks, or find any job on the big clock.