1. Fit for Duty: Injury Prevention and Management

2. The Functional Job Description and its Role in Injury Prevention
Chantel Frappier, PT, DPT
Rehab and Injury Prevention Supervisor

3. Overview Physical Demands of the Job Description
Where does this information come from?
What is useful information?
How do we obtain useful information?
Benefits and Uses

4. Common Terms 1) Physical Demands 2) Essential Functions
Sit
Stand
Lift
Carry
Push
Pull
Climb
Kneel
Reach
Walk
Ascend/Decend
Task that the employee will be expected to perform regularly in their work environment
Necessary to complete the job they perform

6. Physical Demands Physical demands are not legally required, however:
Protect the Worker/Employee:
Assist with reasonable accommodations
Aid in job matching
Protect the Company/Employer:
Minimize risk of employment litigation
Quantitative and specific
Measurable and Repeatable
Not one size fits all

7. Physical Demand Information
Do these sound familiar?
Lift 20 lbs. (frequently)
Push/Pull
Climb stairs
Sit
Stand
Walk
Crawl
Kneel
Crouch
What’s Missing?:
Where?
How Often?
How Much?
How Far?
How Many?
With What?

9. Job Function Description Job Function Test/Match
How Does It Work?
Job Function Analysis
can lead to
Job Function Description
Job Function Test/Match

10. Job Function Analysis (JFA)
Best practice to determine physical demands
Produces objective data for the job description
Determines essential job functions - specific
Quantifies what the worker does
Identifies ergonomic risks/opportunities – injury prevention!

11. Job Function Analysis (JFA)
Performed onsite
Average 1-2 hours per job
Partner with employees who perform the job

13. Physical Demands
Lift 20lbs from pallet, carry 20 feet and place on shelf at 35” height
Climb 25 steps, reach to close valve at 72” height
Perform lower level work in preferred position x 2 minutes
Push cart at 36” with 50 force lbs. for 35 feet
What are force lbs?

14. Job Function Description (JFD)
Written functional description of information from JFA
Validates essential functions of the job
Documented functional requirements
Used to develop Job Function Tests

17. Job Function Test/Match
Developed from the functional job description
Job specific
Determines workers capability to safely perform each job task
Multiple uses:
Job Match
Restrictions
Modifications
Return to Work

19. How is the information used?
Hiring practices
Post-Offer Testing (new hires)
Transfers
Post-Injury
Restrictions and Modifications
Return-to-Work
Ergonomic Opportunities

20. Ergonomic Opportunities
Devices that decrease the physical load or effort of the operator
Change the environment or set up
Change the process/policy

21. Ergonomic Opportunities

31. Validation
Employee will come in to the OccMed clinic and read through the JD and perform the JFT
Make any modifications necessary
Final sign off by employee

32. Why Fit for Duty? Reduce workplace injuries Universal language
Benefits
Company
Medical
Employees

34. Company Benefits Decreased worker’s compensation costs 50%
Decrease in restricted days 80%
Decrease in lost time days 50%
Significant reduction in medical costs within work comp
Worker/Supervisor morale improved
Decreased Litigation
**Above statistics from summary of published outcomes

35. Company Benefits – Sanford Fit for Duty
Decreased claims 20%
Decreased lost days 66%
Decreased indemnity 86%
Decreased medical costs 25%

36. Results – Sanford Fit for Duty

37. Results – Sanford Fit for Duty

38. Results – Sanford Fit for Duty Strains ONLY

39. Results – Sanford Fit for Duty Strains ONLY

40. Medical Benefits Eliminates guess work Provides objective data
Safer return-to-work process
Also more specific and guided process
Creates a blueprint for any therapeutic intervention

41. Employee Benefits Prevents needless injuries
Higher risk to the employee themselves and their co-workers when they can’t perform job
Ensures employees can perform job properly
May help to determine a better fitting job in the company
Assists with safe return from injury
Fewer injuries = less financial risk and emotional effects on employee and company
Facilitates better communication with injured employee

42. Legal perspective
EEOC and ADA promote job function descriptions as an active way an employer can identify job functions for use in matching workers to jobs
Provides job modification information for a person with a disability
Facilitates mandatory compliance with non-discrimination and job relatedness

43. Overall Benefits Better qualified employees Increased workplace safety
Reduction in workplace injuries
Saves (everyone) time, energy, and financial stress
U.S. Department of Labor says “most useful tool for predicting success in jobs and training”

44. “Injury Prevention is a Shared Responsibility”

45. Questions?