Q&A: Determining Physical Demand Level with Work Simulation
Posted on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 @ 10:10 AM
"I am a physical therapy student currently doing a placement at a return-to-work program. I had a question regarding work simulation. I was wondering what guidelines do you follow to progress a worker through their work simulation and to determine if they have met their work requirements.
For example, if a worker has to lift into the Medium PDC level on Occasional level, what do you consider is lifting at an Occasional level in your work simulation? How many sets and repetitions would you consider frequent, occasional, or rare level?"
Thanks for asking. I want to start with some background on PDC level:
If your goal is to match the worker to an overall PDC level (or just ‘PDL’), then you must consider more than just lifting. Referring to the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs, the rule book for DOL-centric job analysis, “Strength” is the physical demand factor in question.
Strength is defined as being comprised of Standing, Walking, Sitting, Lifting, Carrying, Pushing and Pulling. The ability to assume awkward postures should also be considered.
Specifically the RHAJ says, “Care must be exercised in evaluating jobs in the strength categories, particularly in interpreting the force and the physical effort a person must exert. For instance, a worker in an awkward crouching position may experience as much difficulty exerting five pounds of force as when exerting thirty pounds at waist height while standing. Also, if one is required continuously to lift, push, and pull objects weighing 15 pounds or to carry these object long distances, a worker may exert as much physical effort as would be exerted in occasionally or even frequently lifting, pushing and pulling objects twice as heavy, or in occasionally carrying these objects over short distances.”
The RHAJ then defines “Medium” work as:
Exerting 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for Light Work.
The examples given of the 6 different levels of Medium strength work may be helpful for organizing you work simulation program:
M:1 Locates and moves materials and parts between work areas of plan to expedite processing of foods, lifting material usually weighing 15-20 pounds and occasionally weighing up to 50 pounds to place in car or hand truck.
M:2 Fastens metal objects to plating racks, carries filled racks weighing up to 20 pounds to cleaning, plating, and rinsing tanks, and immerses them in tanks.
M:3 Fabricates sheet metal articles, occasionally carrying tool and sheet metal weighing 50 pounds maximum to workbench. Lifts sheet metal to workbench and machine and pushes and pulls it into proper positions.
M:4 Carries lumber weighing occasionally up to 50 pounds from supply room to workbench, a distance of approximately 20 feet. Stands and bends most of the time to lift lumber and pushes and pulls lumber to position on workbench or machine.
M:5 Lifts, pushes and pulls tools to raise automobile, to remove tire from wheel, and to remount tire. Rolls tires, usually weighing approximately 20 pounds and occasionally weighing up to 50 pounds, to repair work area.
M:6 Dismantles, tests, adjusts, repairs, and installs engine parts of aircraft, walking and standing continuously. Frequently lifts and carries parts weighing up to 25 pounds for inspection and repair and pushes and pulls components to position on workbench.
Now, back to your original question: assuming your work simulation plan is focused on the demands of a specific job, ask yourself which of the above levels most closely matches the target job. Do you have information about the frequency of material handling? Do you know the ranges over which material will be handled? If you do then the end goal of the program is not a general “Medium” physical demand level, but a more specific “lifting 22 pounds of bagged dog food from 6 inches to 60 inches, 40 times per hour," for example.
As to frequency of lifts: we start with Occasional then look at Frequent. (You used the term ‘rare’ in describing lifting. I avoid that term as it is not referenced in the Department of Labor literature.)
Occasional lifting is gauged on the amount of time the worker is involved in lifting activities. If he spends up to 1/3 of his working minutes involved in lifting activity then he is still in the occasional range. If he extends above that range he is in frequent. Knowing details about the weight handled and the amount of time involved in handling it you can refer to the Physical Demand Characteristics of Work Chart to determine his lifting physical demand level. (Click on that link and scroll to the bottom of the article to see the Chart.)
Once his lifting physical demand level is determined then you can consider the other aspects of Strength to determine his overall PDL.
Check out Matheson's upcoming Functional Capacity Evaluation courses, where you can learn more about determining physical demand levels!
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