Assessment of Physical Capacity and Job Demands

1
Assessment of Physical Capacity and Job Demands

• Readings - Occupational Ergonomics Handbook
• Ch. 14 Louhevaara
• Ch. 70 Anderson Ch. 72 Key
• Outline
• Maintaining work ability
• Physical job demands and fitness
• firefighters,police, cleaners
• Physical ability testing
• Analysis, protocol design
• Assessing Functional capacities
• principles
• outcomes

2
Job demands and Physical Fitness

• Include physical, mental and social loading
  factors
• 20 of work force in industrialized countries
  exposed to heavy muscular work
• dec in dynamic jobs with simple tools
• inc in static, repetitive tasks
• when redesign is not feasible, physical fitness
  becomes important
• secondary preventative measures
• individual health promotion
• healthy satisfying lifestyle
• maintaining work ability / healthy aging

3
Maintenance Ability

• Fig 14-1
• work and environment
• Organization / Cultural
• Individual worker
• Physical Job Demands
• categorize workload
• Fig 14-2
• heavy dynamic work
• large ms groups - Cardiorespiratory
• manual materials handling
• dynamic/static - CV and muscular
• static postural work
• lrg and small ms - muscular strain
• repetitive work
• small - muscular strain

4
Physical work load

• Affected by use of strength, frequency of peak
  loading, work/rest ratio, environmental factors,
  intensity
• level of strain - depends on demand and
  individual
• optimal / acceptable demand criteria
• cardio, muscular and psychosocial strain
• physiological changes
• fatigue
• specific local changes (small muscles)
• if job demands
• do not exceed capacity - adaptation
• too high - fatigue, dec productivity
• prolonged / repetitive - damage / injury

5
Physical Fitness

• Fig 14-3 dimensions of Fitness
• CV (aerobic) capacity
• muscular performance
• motor coordination
• based on physiological demands and Anthropometric
  characteristics
• Utilization of capacity requires voluntary
  control - therefore all linked to MOTIVATION
• optimal situation - harmony between demand and
  fitness
• Text looks at specifics of Police, Fire and
  Professional Cleaners

6
Fire Fighters

• 200 subjects - job demands of physical fitness
  and aerobic power
• muscular performance and motor coordination
• smoke diving with SCBA-
• aerobic demand
• clearing passages with heavy manual tools -most
  muscular demand
• roof operations- motor control demand
• Aerobic Power Demand - Table 14-1
• often 2.1-2.8 L/min
• max frequent 3.8 L/min 180 bpm
• compounded by need to disperse heat
• no possibility of alleviating load
• recommend min 34-45 ml/min/Kg

7
Fire Fighters

• Muscular Performance
• biomech factors - simulated clearing task - 9 kg
  power saw - floor to ceiling
• high compression on L5/S1
• 90 of isokinetic strength
• back and knee extension
• Table 14.1 - minimum of good or excellent

8
Physical Exercise and Fitness

• one of the basic elements in maintenance of work
  ability
• linked with productivity, quality of work,
  absenteeism, and turnover rate
• program must be tailored to job demands
• successful intervention requires
• commitment and support
• management and those involved
• use of work time (for at least part)
• feedback and strong motivation
• positive experience with exercise
• skill full instruction
• confidential, voluntary and no guilt

9
Physical Ability Testing

• Ch 70 - Anderson
• decline of 20-40 in injury rates
• effectiveness
• does test battery assess what it intends
• requires thorough job analysis
• carefully chosen tests
• validation that test predicts performance
• courts prefer testing to be focused on ability to
  perform
• not risk of injury
• disability act - becomes more complex
• all require ongoing attention and manipulation

10
Job Analysis

• Identify essential function of the job
• functions that define purpose of job
• cost / benefit analysis
• cost of not being able to perform task
• probability of individual lacking ability
• balance with cost of testing applicants
• test required to have a high degree of
  relatedness to essential function
• accurate - precisely measures attribute it says
  it measures
• reliable - yields same results
• over time and by different testers
• objective rather than subjective tests

11
Validation

• Statistical validation
• prospective - test individuals - do not use
  results - analyze performance
• productivity, retention, injury rate, supervisor
  evaluation
• Fig 70-1 - injury rate twice as high
• or implement test in hiring practice, and compare
  to those hired prior
• lack of control for other factors
• All applicants must be treated fairly
• all must be tested - same preparation
• same re-testing procedures

12
Assessment of Worker Capacities

• Knowledge of worker functional capacities
  important
• decision to hire
• decision to return to work
• Fig 72-1
• FCA - Functional Capacity Assessment
• return to work testing process
• individual physical functional work related
  capability
• confirmation of meeting or not meeting minimum
  physical requirements
• goal - return to work ASAP
• even if at limited capacity, some pain

13
Job Placement Assessment

• Provides data prior to hiring
• assists managers - reduce injuries
• JPA - specific, objective, standardized protocols
  accurate and repeatable
• eg. Lifting, carrying, pushing , pulling
• desire -accurately match worker with job
• Components of assessment fig 72-2
• weighted capabilities -CV, posture
• tolerance and endurance capabilities
• establish safe limits for work day
• Validity of participant
• fig 72-3 - less dishonest than generally assumed
  - utilize database correlation
• push vs pull, HR response at exertion

14
Worker Assessment Principles

• For selecting FCA
• must contain standards for identifying validity
  of participation
• methodology must be consistent
• utilize standard equipment
• administrators must be trained and objective
• processing of results must be standardized
• Fig 72-5
• reports should compare results with demands of
  job
• unbiased and defendable decision about return to
  work

15
Outcomes

• Primarily - dec reinjury rates
• dec lapse of time before return to work
• dec incidents and costs
• JPA
• eg fig 72-6 paper manufacturer
• pre and post JPA implementation
• Fig 72-7, 72-8
• possible decision pathways once information is
  available
• Diversification - Inc utilization and
  effectiveness
• mobile assessment
• onsite services