How do you assess ability to do physical work?

Can they do the job? Is there a job match? What reasonable adjustments are required? Do they need a graduated return- to-work plan of hours?

Employers often want to know the answer to these questions. How do you assess ability to do physical work?

It may be that an employee is struggling to do the work tasks due to various reasons, they have:

  • Had an injury, recently.
  • Been diagnosed with a new medical condition.
  • Age-related aches and pains.
  • Been awaiting treatment, such as surgery.
  • Been on sick leave, so have not done the tasks for some time.

Employers may have correspondence from the individual’s GP. A ‘Fit Note’ may have been completed by the GP indicating the individual can ‘return to work’. It may indicate that ‘reasonable adjustments’ under the Equality Act 2010 are required.

Specialist medical letters may be available and appointments may be ongoing for treatment and rehabilitation. Healthcare may be provided by NHS services or privately.

Generally the GP cannot provide an opinion on what the individual worker can or cannot do, as this requires specialist assessment by a workplace health specialist service, often known under the ‘umbrella term’ of an Occupational Health Service.

Occupational Health Services may be available within your organisation or you may contract in these services. The services can vary greatly. Some may have a team of health professionals available to advise and provide a service on many different matters. Such as flu vaccinations, pre-employment medicals, healthy lifestyle advice etc.  Through to complex case management advice and assessments. Assessing physical ability to perform tasks, mental health assessments, medical retirement etc.

Some Occupational Health teams consist of OH specialist nurses and doctors, known as Occupational Health Physicians. Only a doctor can diagnose a health condition. Often the GP or NHS /private specialist service doctors will have done this. The team can have physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational hygienists and occupational therapists in the team. Generally the team have a wide skill mix, due to their past work roles, so they can compliment each others range of expertise.

Occupational Health Services are also delivered by smaller uni-professional teams.  Health care professionals can advise on work and health matters, where it fall within their expertise. Occupational Therapists are experts in assessing physical and mental health, function and ability. They find practical solutions so individual’s can be independent in activities.

A Functional Capacity  Evaluation (FCE) is a specialist assessment, specifically designed to assess ability to perform physical work. Like lots of walking, standing, reaching, lifting and kneeling tasks for low level work tasks.

This assessment is different from a general ‘functional assessment’ that may be performed by a Health Care professional (registered with the HCPC), looking at an individual’s ability to perform personal care and domestic daily activities. It is a researched (standardised) method of assessment used by Health Care Professionals. Specialist training and testing equipment is required.

A questionnaire about the job demands will have been completed by the Line Manager.

Before the assessment, 1 hour is allocated to assess the work task environment and processes. A Job Demands Analysis. This enables the assessor to have a clear understanding of the job tasks. Also to understand if there are any ergonomic and reasonable adjustments that would be possible, if required.

A meeting room at the workplace is required to conduct the assessment.

The assessment process then begins with a review of the individual’s medical history, current symptoms and treatments. Also discussion about non-work activities. The individual will then estimate their ability to perform the work tasks and postures.

Individuals will then perform practical tests, simulating the work tasks, to gather accurate detail of their current level of ability.

They will only perform tasks which are safe for them to do. If an individual has a knee issue, so they are unable to flex/bend their knees to squat, they will not be asked to perform any lifting from the floor. It would be unsafe for them to do so and could lead to further injury.

The assessment will establish the physical abilities of the individual and their difficulties. It collects information which is relevant to the tasks of the job.

The assessment will help to decide:

  • Is there a job match of the individual’s ability to perform some or all of the work tasks.
  • Can they perform the role with reasonable adjustments, such as  ergonomic considerations, eg use a stool instead if standing is an issue. More breaks. Remove some tasks from their role temporarily or permanently.
  • Do they need reduced hours or a graduated plan of hours to return them to the role. What would be the specific advice for this plan, to increase steadily back to the full hours and full tasks.
  • If they are unable to perform any substantial part of the role currently.  Do they need further rehabilitiation and then re-consider the role in the future. Or are there alternative roles available, for the short term, or permanently.

If the individual does not have a current job role, a Functional Capacity Evaluation can be performed at their home address. It will establish their current level of ability and difficulty to perform all types of physical work postures and tasks.

See Functional Capacity Evaluation providing more detail about this assessment service.

This information can then be used to assist in a Career Redirection Assessment and ongoing job search sessions.

See our Case Studies:

Functional Capacity Evaluation of a Carer – Case Study

Functional Capacity Evaluation of a Caretaker – Case Study

Physical Job Analysis of a mechanic – Case Study

See our blog articles related to this topic:

Occupational Health Assessments at work

Contact Us for further advice and a quotation.

See our Useful Links page which includes diagnosis specific advice from organisations which can help.

How do you assess ability to do physical work?

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Watford Borough Council

Healthywork Clients - Watford Borough Council

Thanks very much for the (Functional Capacity) report which we have found extremely useful

Nicola Sharp

HEFCE

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We all enjoyed our recent training update, it was really useful and informative. I have completed 2 ergonomic assessments since the training and I found it really helped.

(Ergonomic Training delivered, 2012)

Judith Fowler, Assistant Facilities Manager, HEFCE

KMG Health Partners Ltd

Healthywork Clients - KMG

Alison Biggs has been a Specialised Assessor on KMG Health Partners roster since its UK inception in 2004. We highly recommend her based on her knowledge, skills, diversity, quality and client / customer care. She has also been extremely flexible with scheduling and geographic locations. You can expect positive outcomes from accessing her service.

Ergonomic Assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations and Job Demands Analysis for clients over the UK: including, Devon, Bristol, Kent, London, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Bedfordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland.

Gail Kovacs

Survey feedback following a DSE Assessment

It (The DSE Assessment) provided some invaluable advice and recommendations to help make my workstation more comfortable and prevent future injury.

Anonymous

Jan 2018

Anonymous

HEFCE

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Healthywork Ltd have been extremely helpful over the last year and provided us with a very good service at very short notice.

The quality of their work place assessment reports and recommendations are extremely high. In addition, the employees involved have commented on the extremely helpful knowledge and support provided by the work place assessor.

(Assessments provided in Bristol and Central London).

Sarah de Vere, HR Manager, Higher Education Funding Council for England, based in Bristol
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FCE testimonial by WTW

FCE testimonial by WTW

FCE testimonial by WTW

I met with our client, Electrolux on Friday to review all their services and they couldn’t praise your recent report highly enough.  It is enabling them to work with the employee much more constructively. They advised that they will not hesitate to use your services again – so thank you so much.

 

 

Kate Barnes, Commercial Manager
Willis Towers Watson

Capital International

Healthywork were very efficient and able to help us with several situations. If you need a fresh pair of eyes with a medical focus to look at an employee health issue, I would recommend them.

Jo Byrne, Central London

UNUM

Healthywork Clients - Unum

Alison is professional at all times, she is easy to work with, adaptable and open to discussing how, through the reports she produces she can meet the changing needs of her clients.

Elaine Cook

David Higham Associates

Healthywork Clients - David Higham

They (the employees) were all happy with the work you did on the day you came in. Thanks a lot for your help. (Workstation Risk Assessments, November 2011)

Tine Nielsen David Higham Associates

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Ergonomic Assessments at ARK in London and at one of the Academies in Elephant and Castle, South london, assessing the ergonomic needs of teachers.

ARK Schools, based in Central london