Collect product samples and prepare them for laboratory analysis or testing.

“Collect product samples and prepare them for laboratory analysis or testing.” is a core task performed by Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping. Among the occupation's 22 rated tasks, workers place it 9th by importance (#14 most important). About 81% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Collect samples of products or materials. in Handling and Moving Objects
• Prepare specimens or materials for testing. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Compare product labels, tags, or tickets, shipping manifests, purchase orders, and bills of lading to verify accuracy of shipment contents, quality specifications, or weights. · importance 4.5
• Document quantity, quality, type, weight, test result data, and value of materials or products to maintain shipping, receiving, and production records and files. · importance 4.4
• Weigh or measure materials, equipment, or products to maintain relevant records, using volume meters, scales, rules, or calipers. · importance 4.4
• Collect or prepare measurement, weight, or identification labels and attach them to products. · importance 4.3
• Remove from stock products or loads not meeting quality standards, and notify supervisors or appropriate departments of discrepancies or shortages. · importance 4.3
• Inspect products and examination records to determine the number of defects per worker and the reasons for examiners' rejections. · importance 4.3
• Examine products or materials, parts, subassemblies, and packaging for damage, defects, or shortages, using specification sheets, gauges, and standards charts. · importance 4.3
• Store samples of finished products in labeled cartons and record their location. · importance 4.3
• Signal or instruct other workers to weigh, move, or check products. · importance 4.0
• Count or estimate quantities of materials, parts, or products received or shipped. · importance 4.0
• Communicate with customers and vendors to exchange information regarding products, materials, and services. · importance 4.0
• Fill orders for products and samples, following order tickets, and forward or mail items. · importance 3.9
• Operate scalehouse computers to obtain weight information about incoming shipments such as those from waste haulers. · importance 3.8
• Sort products or materials into predetermined sequences or groupings for display, packing, shipping, or storage. · importance 3.7

See all tasks on the Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping page.

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-task-11386,
  title  = {Collect product samples and prepare them for laboratory analysis or 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/tasks/task-11386}
}