ORS Respondent Reference Guide

August 2023

OMB #1220-0189

Respondent Reference Guide
Occupational Requirement Survey (ORS)
Overview
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:

Job Information
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The number of full-time and part-time workers
The typical or average work schedule (e.g., 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week)
The below hiring requirements, when applicable:
o Educational requirements (e.g., high school diploma, college degree)
o Other special training requirements (e.g., certificates, licenses, vocational training)
o Related, professional work experience

Job Function and Tasks
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What are the most important things this job does for your organization?
What is the purpose of this job?
What do workers in this job do in a regular day?

Supervisory Information
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Does this job supervise anyone?
Is their supervisor in the area where they typically work?
How does their supervisor check the quality of their work?

Cognitive Demands
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How fast work is performed?
How often must this job verbally interact with others?
How closely the job is supervised?

Physical Demands
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 workers to use low postures (e.g., stooping, crouching, kneeling, or crawling)?

Environmental Conditions
Do workers encounter any of the following while performing the job?
• Outdoors
• Wetness
• Extreme Heat (non-weather
• Humidity
related)
• Heavy Vibration
• Extreme Cold (non-weather
• Hazardous Contaminants*
related)

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Proximity to Moving
Mechanical Parts*
High, Exposed Places*
Noise Intensity Level*

*Is personal protective equipment (PPE) used (e.g., ear plugs, hearing protection, safety harnesses)?