Inspect condition or functioning of facilities or equipment
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 12 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (4.A.1.b.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 12 occupations that perform it.
- Stop production if serious product defects are present.
- Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
- Inspect facilities and equipment for signs of disrepair, and perform necessary maintenance work.
- Inspect equipment, such as rides, games, and vehicles, to detect wear and damage.
- Inspect guest rooms, public areas, and grounds for cleanliness and appearance.
- Inspect facilities and recommend building or equipment modifications to ensure emergency readiness and compliance to access, safety, and sanitation regulations.
- Inspect grounds, facilities, and equipment routinely to determine necessity of repairs or maintenance.
- Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.
- Verify correct use and maintenance of physical security systems, such as closed-circuit television, merchandise tags, and burglar alarms.
- Inspect sites to assess environmental damage or monitor cleanup progress.
- Visually inspect equipment to detect surface defects.
- Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
- Audit and inspect subcontractor facilities including external laboratories.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
12 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians
- Curators
- Emergency Management Directors
- Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
- Lodging Managers
- Loss Prevention Managers
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers
- Quality Control Systems Managers
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Inspect facilities or equipment”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.