Deborah Lechner, PT, MS Basic Physical Demands Scaling

Scales Vary by Category of Physical Demands Categories/ DimensionsExamples Manual Materials Handling Position Tolerance (static postures) Mobility/Movement and Repetitive Motions Hand Function Balance Coordination Lift, carry, push, pull Sit, stand, stoop, crouch, reach, kneel Walk, crawl, climb, stoop, crouch, reach Handling, fingering, gripping Static, dynamic Bilateral, eye-hand-foot, eye- hand, eye-foot

Possible Scales for Physical Demands  Manual Materials Handling Weight/force handled (lbs/N) Size and shape of object Handles vs. Without Bilateral vs. Unilateral Vertical height of lift Distance of lift

Manual Materials Handling Can occur in any position & combined with a variety trunk movement (i.e. bend and rotate while lifting) Lift/Lower – height, position of load and relationship to body – horizontal distance from load Unilateral Bilateral Carry Unilateral Bilateral Push/Pull Unilateral Bilateral While whole body is moving

Possible Scales for Physical Demands Non-Materials Handling Posture/Positions maintained Duration (hr, min, sec, % day) Continuous duration (hr, min, sec) Intensity (degrees of position, range of motion, WNL, min, moderate, severe) Balanced/Symmetrical Mobility/Ambulation (walk, crawl, climb, run) Distance Repetitions Speed Duration (% of day)

Possible Scales for Physical Demands Non-Materials handling (cont’d) Repetitive movements (squatting, reaching, stooping) Repetitions Frequency Cycle time Duration (% of day) Continuous duration Intensity (degrees of position, range of motion, WNL, min, moderate, severe) Balanced/Symmetrical

Scales for Balance Dynamic vs. static Duration (% of job required) Surface Type Even surface Uneven surface Climbing (stairs, ladders, poles) Beam and scaffolding/narrow ledges Surface Conditions Wet vs. dry Ice, snow Oil

Possible Scales for Hand Function Duration Repetition Cycle time Grip strength (lbs) Whole hand vs. individual finger motion One-handed vs. two-handed Level of dexterity/coordination/speed

Combined Postures vs. Individual Joint Positions Squat/crouching vs Spine flexion Hip flexion Knee flexion Ankle dorsiflexion Ability to change position i.e. driving for required distance before stopping, viewing computer monitor and using keyboard for specific periods of time without rest

Simultaneous Motion Motions/Positions happen simultaneously – i.e. Squat while looking down and reaching while handling. Or sitting on window sill while leaning, holding himself with one arm and reaching with another. Neck Trunk Upper extremities Shoulder Elbow Hands Lower extremities Hips Knees Ankles

Correlation to Tasks Housekeeping (Light to Heavy) Wet mopping the floor Cleaning patient rooms after discharge Carpenter (Light to V Heavy) Erects framework for structures and lays subflooring Builds stairs and lays out and installs partitions and cabinet work. Physical Demands: Walking Lifting Pushing Pulling Joint Angle Excursions Flexion, Extension, rotation, abduction, adduction Neutral vs. Non-Neutral Joint angle excursions

How much detail???? Challenge to balance level of detail vs. feasibility of data collection

Current DOT MMH Scaling Defined in DOT, SCO, & COJ Classifies manual materials handling demands: OccasionalFrequent (50%) Constant (20%) Very Heavy> 100 lb.> 50 lb> 20 lb Heavy lb.25 – 50 lb10 – 20 lb Medium lb Light11-20 lb * Sedentary1 -10 lb. * * * negligible weight 13

Current DOT Duration Scaling Non-materials handling tasks classified according to duration of demand within the work day Constantly2/3 to the full day Frequently1/3 to 2/3 of day Occasionallyup to 1/3 of day Nevernot required 14

Current DOT Dexterity & Coordination Scaling Dexterity Demands Classified as an aptitude by the DOT Rated on a 1 -5 scale 1 = top 10% of population 2 = highest 1/3, exclusive of top 10% 3 = middle 1/3 4 = lowest 1/3, exclusive of bottom 10% 5 = lowest 10% of population Grip Strength not addressed Keyboarding not addressed Duration address through C,F,O,N 15

Types of Items & Associated Scales TypeDefinitionExamples Cross-Job RelativeGeneral work activities - designed to apply to many jobs Analyze, Calculate, Classify, Climb, Compute, Coordinate, Direct, Evaluate, Inspect, Lift, Monitor, Observe, Stand, Walk Within-Job RelativeTasksClassic “Verb, Object, Purpose” Designed to be organizationally specific; easily used for HR activities like training QualitativeHighly abstract, create no quantitative data Narrative Job Descriptions, Job titles only

Types of Scales TypeScalesExamples Cross-Job Relative Absolute frequency, weight, absolute duration Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly 20 lbs. 0 – 15 min, 16 – 30 min, 30 – 45 min Dichotomous : Performed/Not Performed Within-Job RelativeRelative/% time spent, relative importance ¼ of the time, ½ of the time, ¾ of the time 10%, 20%, 100% Not Important, Somewhat Important, Very Important QualitativeNo numerical ratings, No comparisons of jobs possible Narrative Job Descriptions, Simple lists of tasks