Collect samples of materials or products for testing.

Collect samples of materials or products for testing. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 18 occupations and seen in 18 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Collect samples of products or materials. in Handling and Moving Objects .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 18 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 3 (17%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards. · Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Collect biofuels samples and perform routine laboratory tests or analyses to assess biofuels quality. · Biofuels Processing Technicians · importance 4.7 · exposure with tools
• Draw samples of products at specified stages so that analyses can be performed. · Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met. · Chemical Plant and System Operators · importance 4.6 · exposure with tools
• Draw smelted metal samples from furnaces or kettles for analysis, and calculate types and amounts of materials needed to ensure that materials meet specifications. · Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses. · Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Collect samples, or signal workers to sample metal for analysis. · Pourers and Casters, Metal · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Collect and inspect random samples during print runs to identify any necessary adjustments. · Printing Press Operators · importance 4.6 · exposure with tools
• Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing. · Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity. · Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity. · Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Collect product samples by turning bleeder valves, or by lowering containers into tanks to obtain oil samples. · Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers · importance 4.1 · no direct exposure
• Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis. · Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Collect oil, water, or electrolyte samples for laboratory analysis. · Power Plant Operators · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Sample and test product characteristics such as specific gravity, acidity, and sugar content, using hydrometers, pH meters, or refractometers. · Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Collect or select samples for testing or for use as models. · Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing. · Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure
• Collect product samples and prepare them for laboratory analysis or testing. · Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping · importance 3.8 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
• Biofuels Processing Technicians
• Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
• Chemical Plant and System Operators
• Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
• Pourers and Casters, Metal
• Printing Press Operators
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Power Plant Operators
• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
• Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-collect-samples-of-materials-or-products-for-testing,
  title  = {Collect samples of materials or products for testing.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/collect-samples-of-materials-or-products-for-testing}
}