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ORS captures durations for some physical demands and environmental conditions based on the ranges below:
Duration Category |
Overall range |
8-Hour day |
40-Hour week |
Seldom |
Up to 2% |
Less than 10 minutes |
Less than 45 minutes |
Occasionally |
2% up to 1/3 |
10 minutes up to 2 1/2 hours |
45 minutes up to 13 hours |
Frequently |
1/3 up to 2/3 |
2 1/2 hours up to 5 1/2 hours |
13 hours up to 3 1/2 days |
Constantly |
2/3 or more |
5 1/2 hours or more |
3 1/2 days or more |
For each of the selected jobs, please provide the following information:
For each of the jobs we will be talking about today, we will need the following information:
Pushing/pulling - Do workers push or pull anything that requires a significant amount of force?
Reaching/manipulation - Do any tasks require gross manipulation (e.g., seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with the hand)?
Do any of tasks require fine manipulation? Fine manipulation includes touching, picking, pinching, keyboarding, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand or arm, as in gross manipulation.
Postural - Do any tasks requires them to use low postures (e.g., stooping, crouching, kneeling, or crawling)?
Do workers encounter any of the following while performing the job?
* Is personal protective equipment (PPE) used (e.g., ear plugs, hearing protection, safety harnesses)?
The procedures and instructions used by BLS during ORS data collection are reviewed annually in conjunction with the fielding of each sample. The first wave of collection consisted of three samples and correspond to reference year 2018 estimates. The second wave of collection includes five samples and correspond to preliminary estimates each year until final reference year 2023 estimates are published. Similarly, the third wave of collection will contain five samples captured over a five-year period.
Environmental conditions visual overview (PDF)
Physical demands visual overview (PDF)