PHED 3806Functional Assessment

Andrew Gerhard, H.BSc.(Kin)Regional Coordinator

Cardiac Rehabilitation ProgramHôpital régional de Sudbury Regional

Hospital

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 2

Physical Demands AnalysisTopics Covered: Ergonomic vs. PDA

analyses Definitions Purpose and

Objectives Who gets involved Preparation Tools

Terminology What to measure

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 3

PDA Uses for job evaluation:

categorize jobs in terms of their relative financial worth (determine pay scales)

time and motion studies to help balance work across organizations

match the demands of the job to the capacities of the worker. (PDA)

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 4

PDA Definitions:

Derived from McCormick (1979) and the US Department of Labor, 1972

Occupation: A system of jobs of a general class, on an across-the

board basis, without regard to organizational lines. 

Job: Group of tasks which are identical with respect to

their major or significant functions and sufficiently alike to justify their being covered by a single analysis. There may be one or many persons employed on the same job.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 5

PDA Definitions:

Position: Complex of tasks and duties for any individual. A

position exists whether occupied or not.

Duty: Used rather loosely to refer to a large segment of

work performed by an individual. Represents one of the distinct major activities involved in the work performed, and consists of several tasks that are or may be related.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 6

PDA Definitions:

Task: A discrete unit of work performed by an

individual. Usually comprises a logical and necessary step in the performance of a duty, and typically has an identifiable beginning and end.

Task Element: The smallest step into which it is practical to

subdivide any work activity without analyzing the separate motions, movements and mental processes involved.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 7

PDA Definitions:

Elemental Motion: Very specific separate motions or

movements, as used in time-methods analysis procedures in industrial engineering.

Function: Broad subdivision of a job comprising a

group of tasks that are somewhat related because of the nature of the work or the behaviour involved.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 8

PDA Definitions:

Function: supervisory: as in organizing, planning, directing,

developing, etc. direct:as in maintaining, repairing, operating, etc. One of the major characteristics of a task is that it

is directed towards an objective, a common goal, or outcome, and that it is an orderly, homogeneous grouping of goal-oriented human activities applied methodically to things or equipment and usually performed by one person in less than a day.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 9

PDA Definitions:

Job Analysis: A process of investigation into the

activities of work and the demands made on the workers, irrespective of the type or level of employment.

Job description: A written statement of the main duties

and responsibilities which a job entails.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 10

PDA Ergonomic Job Analysis

A scientific study of the relationship between a worker, work, and the work environment. It incorporates physiological and physical engineering principles to enhance safety and efficiency.

Frequently performed as a mechanism for identifying aspects of a job which have caused injury or have the potential to cause injury.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 11

PDA Physical Demands Analysis.

(or Job Site Analysis). Utilizes the principles of ergonomics to

analyze the individual components of a job, not specific to one employee.

It breaks a job down, detailing the physical requirements of job-related tasks.

It identifies and specifies such physical requirements as lifting, walking, positioning, etc.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 12

PDA To gather data on a job, for development of a

treatment plan, or a work hardening program. To compare an injured worker’s functional abilities

(see FCE) with job task demands in an effort to facilitate return to work or document incompatibility.

To recommend modification to equipment or work habits to enhance an employee’s tolerance to perform job tasks.

To assess options for “reasonable accommodation”. To assess equipment and environmental factors ie.

specific tools.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 13

PDA Who gets involved with a PDA:

Supervisor Injured worker Health and Safety representative Union representative Other workers Plant manager Human resources representative

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 14

PDA Preparation:

Receive referral / authorization of payment Consult with injured worker to review job demands (may

have been done already as part of rehab process). Contact supervisor: To explain need to document job tasks and required

physical demands To identify the best time to schedule visit (plan for travel

time and on-site time) Gather background information about the industry or

occupation. Conference with employer prior to observing the job

operation so as not to interfere with overall productivity.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 15

PDATools (What to bring): backpack large plastic bucket force gauge scale stop watch / countdown

timer lap counter rope

tape measure camera video camera clipboard safety shoes hard hat safety glasses ear plugs

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 16

PDAWhat to measure: Physical Demands may

include: Sitting Standing Reaching horizontal Reaching vertical

(overhead, bended) Dexterity Lifting Carrying Pushing

Pulling Stooping Kneeling Crouching (squatting) Crawling Walking Climbing Balancing Foot / hand controls

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 17

PDAWhat to measure: Quantifications may

include: Weights Distances Height, width, depth Repetitions Durations Minimums / maximums

(extremes) Averages Quotas or rates

 

Starting points End points Temperatures Noise levels Light intensity Distractions Stressors Vibrations

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 18

PDATerminology: Never Rare: 0-10% of a shift

(40 minutes of an 8 hour shift) Occasional: 11 - 33% of a shift

(2 hours of an 8 hour shift) Frequent: 34 - 66% of a shift

(4.5 hours of an 8 hour shift) Constant: 67 - 100% of a shift

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 19

PDA Essential PDA (Ontario Ministry of Labour, 1981) is the term

given by the Ontario Ministry of Labour to a simplified but effective method of recording the physical demands of various jobs. Although it was developed specifically for use in placing impaired and disabled workers it has useful applications in determining the physical demands of a job for general purposes.

In practice the preparation for the analysis, followed by observation and interview, are conducted as previously described for other methods. The results, however, are recorded on a one-page form, which, although vastly curtailed in comparison with those used in other methods, provides much of the information that might be required for suitable placement.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 20

PDA Pounds if needed: Where appropriate, the maximum

number of pounds to he moved for each factor should be recorded to ensure that a worker will have the ability to meet the maximum demands.

Frequency: Despite its name this item refers to the number of hours, or fractions of an hour, that the item is needed.

Essential function: This column indicates whether a factor should be modified.

Possible accommodation: This column is completed during or after interview with a handicapped applicant. Only those factors which have been previously noted as not limiting should be considered.

Winter Session 2002 PHED 3806 21

PDA Other, less distributed formats:

Detailed checklist Simple choice tabular format VERY detailed (beyond what is typically needed) Mentions specific employee

Narrative checklist Check-box format with room for unlimited comments Good balance of detail that suits most users’ needs Can be accompanied by summary sheet