Implementation of Physical Employment Standards for Physically Demanding Occupations.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to describe an approach to implementing and integrating physical employment standards into an organizational procedure, to ensure the safe and effective supervision of physical fitness of workers in a physically demanding occupation, using a real-world example. METHODS: Using previously published cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, and endurance physical demands data from UK firefighters, a process to manage all levels of physical capability was developed with industry stakeholders. RESULTS: Performance standards and associated cut-scores relating to acceptable, uncertain, and unacceptable job performance, using a traffic-light style process, were agreed by stakeholders to ensure the safe and effective management of incumbent's physical fitness. CONCLUSIONS: This paper describes the processes involved in implementing a physical capability management procedure, for the administration of routine in-service physical employment standards and tests in the UK Fire & Rescue Service.

Physical Employment Standards for UK Firefighters: Minimum Muscular Strength and Endurance Requirements.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess sensitivity and specificity of surrogate physical ability tests as predictors of criterion firefighting task performance and to identify corresponding minimum muscular strength and endurance standards. METHODS: Fifty-one (26 male; 25 female) participants completed three criterion tasks (ladder lift, ladder lower, ladder extension) and three corresponding surrogate tests [one-repetition maximum (1RM) seated shoulder press; 1RM seated rope pull-down; repeated 28 kg seated rope pull-down]. Surrogate test standards were calculated that best identified individuals who passed (sensitivity; true positives) and failed (specificity; true negatives) criterion tasks. RESULTS: Best sensitivity/specificity achieved were 1.00/1.00 for a 35 kg seated shoulder press, 0.79/0.92 for a 60 kg rope pull-down, and 0.83/0.93 for 23 repetitions of the 28 kg rope pull-down. CONCLUSIONS: These standards represent performance on surrogate tests commensurate with minimum acceptable performance of essential strength-based occupational tasks in UK firefighters.

A Task Analysis Methodology for the Development of Minimum Physical Employment Standards.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a systematic task analysis process for determination of minimum acceptable job performance in arduous safety-related occupations. METHODS: A task analysis using modifications on established methods was completed in UK firefighters. Subject-matter experts (all male) identified critical, physically arduous tasks generic to all UK firefighters and developed individual, role-specific task simulations. Video footage and blinded voting were used to determine minimum acceptable task performance. RESULTS: Eight tasks were identified in combination with role-specific variations, task simulations suitable for use in a physical demands analysis, and corresponding minimum acceptable performance. CONCLUSIONS: The bespoke steps highlighted here allow structured identification of task-specific minimum performance standards and simulations from which physical employment standards could be based. However, including a more divergent expert panel with respect to age, sex, and race would strengthen the applicability of this framework in future practice.