title: Work-based physiological assessment of physically-demanding trades: a methodological overview.
abstract: Technological advances, modified work practices, altered employment strategies, work-related injuries, and the rise in work-related litigation and compensation claims necessitate ongoing trade analysis research. Such research enables the identification and development of gender- and age-neutral skills, physiological attributes and employment standards required to satisfactorily perform critical trade tasks. This paper overviews a methodological approach which may be adopted when seeking to establish trade-specific physiological competencies for physically-demanding trades (occupations). A general template is presented for conducting a trade analyses within physically-demanding trades, such as those encountered within military or emergency service occupations. Two streams of analysis are recommended: the trade analysis and the task analysis. The former involves a progressive dissection of activities and skills into a series of specific tasks (elements), and results in a broad approximation of the types of trade duties, and the links between trade tasks. The latter, will lead to the determination of how a task is performed within a trade, and the physiological attributes required to satisfactorily perform that task. The approach described within this paper is designed to provide research outcomes which have high content, criterion-related and construct validities.
authors.affiliation: Human Performance Laboratories, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. nigel_taylor@uow.edu.au
authors.forename: Nigel A S
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Herb
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Groeller
mesh_terms: D004651:Employment; D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010809:Physical Fitness; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis