Ergo-ology conducts detailed onsite job analysis to identify essential physical ability testing of tasks that are routinely encountered by workers in each job title for which testing is to be developed. Strength, endurance and postural/agility requirements of these tasks are quantified and documented.
Through the capability of advanced wearable technology, energy expenditure is quantified and documented for workers in each job title over full shifts of work. Additional data and metrics are collected as well, including such information as the number of pieces manually handled, the total weight of those pieces, nature of the transfers, time spent in manual handling, and total shift length. A detailed technical analysis of the energy expenditure data along with the corresponding metrics enables job-specific requirements for endurance, or aerobic capacity, needed by candidates to be obtained. These endurance requirements can then be used as objective pass/fail criteria for aerobic capacity testing of job candidates.
After review of the data from the onsite analysis, a Worker Task Questionnaire will be developed (WTQ) based on the data collected for each of the specific job titles analyzed. A statistically significant sample of employees in those titles will be asked to complete the WTQ so as to obtain their evaluation of the frequency and importance of the job demands. This is a critical element in meeting the validity requirements established by agencies such as EEOC and OFCCP.
Based on the job analysis and worker task questionnaire responses, a series of test elements are developed that comprise a job-related physical ability test battery. This test battery is task oriented, based directly on the physically-demanding essential job functions, with objective pass/fail criteria for each element.
We then develop the allowed for documentation required by the EEOC to be prepared, which outlines how the job analysis was performed, how the test battery was designed, how the battery relates to performing the job, and other evidence of validity for the test battery. The whole implementation process is designed to meet EEOC requirements set forth in the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, which state that testing programs be validated as being specifically related to the job demands and being predictive of job performance.
Ergo-ology matchs employer locations with existing Ergo-ology trained clinics that are actively performing tests for other clients, based on their relationship with over 1,800 clinics Nationwide. If there are no active trained clinics in a particular location, or if an employer chooses to use a different clinic that will need training, Ergo-ology coordinates the training. Clinics utilized, administer the test battery (developed prior) and sends the test data back for interpretation. We interpret the test results and renders a pass/fail decision back to the specific employer location within twenty-four hours.
The effectiveness of the Physical Ability Testing program is evaluated by comparing workers’ compensation injury rates and productivity for new-hires before and after implementation of testing. Pre-implementation injury rates, the nature of the injuries and the number of hours worked by individuals hired in the year before implementation are compared the same information for individuals hired in the year after implementation. This Pre-/Post-Implementation Analysis is also a critical piece of legal evidence for the program’s validity.
To ensure the test battery is always up-to-date, a Job Requirement Review (JRR) is sent annually. We will develop, circulate and interpret the JRR for the purpose of assuring that the test battery continues to reflect the current and relevant physical requirements. This is another of the elements that is critical to maintaining the legal defensibility of the testing program. If the JRR indicates a change which impacts the physical demands of the job, we contact the employer to discuss the matter further and determine if a reanalysis is needed.
To ensure ongoing legal defensibility, we requests to conduct reanalysis at least every 5 years of each job title for which testing has been developed. As with all of the other elements in the program, this step is a critical element in meeting the stipulations in EEOC’s Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures.