BFOR - Lecture #16 Flashcards
What occupations are the most physically demanding?
Firefighters, Paramedics, and jobs that have fitness involved.
Is it a requirement to be fit for these jobs?
Depends on the level of intensity of the occupation because some jobs are physically more demanding than others.
Partitioning of Health and Fitness
Into Health and Performance
What can Performance lead into?
Performance in Sport & Occupation
BFOR (Bona Fide Occupational Requirement)
A requirement to meet the standards necessary for the performance of an occupation.
When can a job require you to achieve a specific minimum level of fitness?
Any Physically Demanding Occupations in which failure to perform the job or ineffective job performance can result in loss of life or property.
1999 - The Meiorin Decision
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.
What did the Supreme Court say?
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.
Criteria for a BFOR
- 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.
Steps for Developing a BFOR for Physically Demanding Jobs
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
Familiarization with Job
How well do you understand the occupation you are applying for?
Comprehensive Job Review
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.
Physical and Physiological characterization of job tasks
How hard it is to do ranked tests. Measure and quantify. (i.e. Weights, distances, forces, oxygen consumption, environment)
Identify representative sample of critically important, physically demanding tasks
Have fitness assessments simulating those tasks and build in those physical demands to match the job.
6) Develop test protocol elements based on representative tasks
Putting list of physically demanding tasks into a protocol and have a battery of tests to check if person meets those tasks.
7) Scientific check
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.
8) Develop a standardized assessment protocol based on results from a representative sample of incumbent workers
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.
9) Administer to incumbent workers
Evaluate pass/fail rate
10) Develop a standard of acceptability
Standard is set at incumbent mean times + 1 Standard Deviation
11) Ongoing Review and revision
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.
What is Accommodation?
Obligation of an employer to take necessary steps to eliminate disadvantage to current or prospective employees
Two Exceptions
Exceptions that make an accommodation not a requirement
Exception 1
BFOR
Exception 2
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)
