Job Dictionaries, or Physical Demand Statements objectively define the functional capacity required to undertake operational tasks within the workplace. The health and safety legislation places a duty on employers to provide a safe workplace for their workers. How do businesses know if their workers have the physical and postural capacity to safely undertake the role, if they do not understand what the inherent requirements of specific operational tasks are? Can your business confidently support workers safety return-to-work, or identify light-duties?

Our Job Dictionaries Services

The development of Job Dictionaries or Physical Demand Statements for individual task, jobs or roles will take the subjectivity out of what the physical and postural requirements are.  Typically, Job Dictionaries, or Physical Demand Statements are required when:

• The physical demand of a task is unknown, or
• It is unclear which duties in a workplace are suitable for a worker.

Job Dictionaries, or Physical Demand Statements are also referred to as Suitable Duties Statements, Job Analysis, Job Diaries, or Work Capacity Evaluations.

If you would like further information regarding how Action OHS Consulting can assist you with your Job Dictionary, or Physical Demand Statement, please contact us. For more information on Job Dictionaries, or Physical Demand Statements, please see below.

What do Job Dictionaries, or Physical Demand Statements involve?

Job Dictionaries or Physical Demand Statements are developed in line with your businesses needs. Typically, Action OHS Consulting will work collaboratively with your business to identify what operational tasks are undertaken frequently, infrequently, or seasonally. We will then visit the site to observe workers undertaking each identified operation task. This observation will involve, but is not limited to:

• conversations with workers
• reviewing the documentation associated with the task
• taking measurements of weight lifted along with pushing and pulling forces
• estimating time in selected postures, and
• taking videos or photos.

Following the review, Action OHS Consulting will develop the Job Dictionary or Physical Demand Statement(s) which will provide an overview of the key metrics associated with each operational task. An example of a Job Dictionary or Physical Demand Statement has been provided below.

What benefits do Job Dictionaries or Physical Demand Statements provide businesses?

Businesses who understand the physical and postural demands of operational tasks in their workplace will see the following benefits:

• A pre-employment tool that will assist you to ensure that prospective workers, can safely perform the job that is to be assigned to them.
• Guidance material for medical practitioners to assist them in determining employee work capacity and restrictions.
• Assist workplaces to identify suitable return-to-work duties for injured employees; based on the employee’s “medically certified capacity” verse the defined “physical and postural demand of the job”.
• Facilitate medical screening of long-term employees to ensure that they have a physical capacity and postural capability that matches the inherent requirements of their job.

Job Dictionaries or Physical Demand Statements will assist an employer to identify the physical and postural demands on workers, which in turn,  will allow employers to establish risk controls to create a safe work environment for all workers, including prospective workers, and those injured or ageing.