BFOR - Lecture #16

Question 1

What occupations are the most physically demanding?

Answer 1

Firefighters, Paramedics, and jobs that have fitness involved.

Question 2

Is it a requirement to be fit for these jobs?

Answer 2

Depends on the level of intensity of the occupation because some jobs are physically more demanding than others.

Question 3

Partitioning of Health and Fitness

Answer 3

Into Health and Performance

Question 4

What can Performance lead into?

Answer 4

Performance in Sport & Occupation

Question 5

BFOR (Bona Fide Occupational Requirement)

Answer 5

A requirement to meet the standards necessary for the performance of an occupation.

Question 6

When can a job require you to achieve a specific minimum level of fitness?

Answer 6

Any Physically Demanding Occupations in which failure to perform the job or ineffective job performance can result in loss of life or property.

Question 7

1999 - The Meiorin Decision

Answer 7

Firefighter was dismissed from job because she failed one aspect of minimum fitness standard even though she’s been performing well and safe for the previous 3 years.

Question 8

What did the Supreme Court say?

Answer 8

When the Government of British Columbia testified that this aerobic standard was a BFOR for a firefighter position but the Supreme court determined the aerobic standard was not valid for a BFOR.

Question 9

Criteria for a BFOR

Answer 9

• Failure of tasks results in death or property loss.
• Based on current ability to do work
• Task is non discriminatory
• Accommodation due to undo hardship not allowed
• Task deemed to be work related in good faith.

Question 10

Steps for Developing a BFOR for Physically Demanding Jobs

Answer 10

1) Is Job performance critical for life and property protection?
2) Familiarization with job
3) Comprehensive job review
4) Physical and physiological characterization of job tasks
5) Identify representative sample of critically important, physically demanding tasks

Question 11

Familiarization with Job

Answer 11

How well do you understand the occupation you are applying for?

Question 12

Comprehensive Job Review

Answer 12

Going through what about the job might be physically demanding. As well as consult with experts who have done the job for a long time.

Question 13

Physical and Physiological characterization of job tasks

Answer 13

How hard it is to do ranked tests. Measure and quantify. (i.e. Weights, distances, forces, oxygen consumption, environment)

Question 14

Identify representative sample of critically important, physically demanding tasks

Answer 14

Have fitness assessments simulating those tasks and build in those physical demands to match the job.

Question 15

6) Develop test protocol elements based on representative tasks

Answer 15

Putting list of physically demanding tasks into a protocol and have a battery of tests to check if person meets those tasks.

Question 16

7) Scientific check

Answer 16

Going to check protocol through scientific approach. Run people through tests to see how reliable it is. Check if it measures for what must be measured and how close does it feel to actual job.

Question 17

8) Develop a standardized assessment protocol based on results from a representative sample of incumbent workers

Answer 17

Make those who are currently in the job are able to do protocol effectively and clear it to know if they’re capable of continuing to work there.

Question 18

9) Administer to incumbent workers

Answer 18

Evaluate pass/fail rate

Question 19

10) Develop a standard of acceptability

Answer 19

Standard is set at incumbent mean times + 1 Standard Deviation

Question 20

11) Ongoing Review and revision

Answer 20

Look at test and see how good the test is. If failed the test then do it again which minimizes discrimination and accommodates for those who want to try again.

Question 21

What is Accommodation?

Answer 21

Obligation of an employer to take necessary steps to eliminate disadvantage to current or prospective employees

Question 22

Two Exceptions

Answer 22

Exceptions that make an accommodation not a requirement

Question 23

Exception 1

Answer 23

BFOR

Question 24

Exception 2

Answer 24

Undo Hardship
- If accommodation of someone would create undue hardship for the person providing the accommodation in terms health, safety, cost.

(i.e. Tall person in a tank doesn’t mean employer needs to make changes to seat height of tank because that would cost too much)

Question 25

Legislates that supervisors/employers would be criminally negligent if they fail to take reasonable measures to ensure bodily safety of persons doing task

Answer 25

Criminal Code of Canada

Question 26

What happens if employees hire people that have not been screened based on demand requirement

Answer 26

Employer can be criminally negligible based on employee’s performance on the job.

Question 27

The FITCO Test consists of

Answer 27

Pre-participation Screening
Cell Search
Emergency Response Circuit:
Aerobic Fitness Test (20m shuttle run)

Question 28

Why can’t you fail any of the tasks in the FITCO Test?

Answer 28

Because it’s a BFOR.

Question 29

Pre-participation Screening

Answer 29

Par-Q, Blood Pressure and Informed Consent

Question 30

Par-Q?

Answer 30

Questionnaire determining who is capable of doing a field test physically. Proceed with caution if client says yes to one or more questions.

Question 31

Cell Search

Answer 31

In this CASE Study, figured what correction officers do regularly, and characterize the demands of them.

Question 32

Purpose of Cell Search for this CASE Study

Answer 32

Since the test is a fitness test to be a correctional officer, cell search was common thing done and it was implemented into fitness test to match the real thing.

Question 33

Emergency Response Circuit (What tasks can be done to match the demands of a correctional officer responding to a code on the other side of an area)

Answer 33

• 60m (4x15) over stairs four times
• Body Control Simulator (Pushing or pulling someone)
• Arm Restraint Simulator (To restrain someone)
• Inmate Relocation (Recreating an altercation)

These were all appropriately measured and determined with consultation of correctional officers.

Question 34

Create the circuit and put people through it while wearing equipment to collect data and figure out what’s reasonable for meeting the demands of a job

Answer 34

Scientific Validation of Test Protocol

Question 35

Aerobic Fitness Test (VO2Max)

Answer 35

Decided the standard to meet was 5.5 and same people measured to set standards were also measured again to set the gold standard.