Fitness-for-Duty Assessments of Industrial Firefighters

Abstract

: Industrial firefighters share many characteristics with municipal firefighters; however, employers frequently have not addressed or characterized the unique job duties, hazards, and specific physical/mental demands associated with industrial firefighting. In addition, gaps exist in the medical literature with regard to industrial firefighter demographics, behavioral risk factors, and chronic diseases. Finally, the proper methodologies for fitness-for-duty assessment of employees acting in this capacity are lacking. To address these gaps, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) convened a Task Force in 2014, to develop fitness-for-duty guidance for industrial firefighters. This document highlights these gaps and suggests research opportunities to enhance the health and safety of this population. While an extensive literature review found a lack of studies for this population-thus excluding the development of an evidence-based document-sufficient materials were available from which to draw preliminary conclusions, considerations for best practices, and recommendations for future studies.

Baixas na linha de frente: absenteísmo entre bombeiros durante o combate à pandemia da COVID-19

“…The decrease in physical activities due to social distancing and restrictions imposed by local governments (with the closure of gyms, parks, and clubs) may negatively impact on the health and work performance of professionals who need to be physically fit to undertake their jobs. 36 Providing open spaces in the workplace and training programs adapted to the current reality may be beneficial. Similarly, alternative health services for frontline workers can be offered such as online or telephone appointments should be encouraged, especially for those with chronic diseases.…”

Implementation of Physical Employment Standards for Physically Demanding Occupations

“…This is in part due to the greater understanding of how physical fitness interacts with operational capability and the risks associated with physically demanding emergency response work [6-8, 10, 43]. However, despite decades of investigation into PES methodology, few resources are available to promote best practice in this field with little attention being focused on the approaches used to successfully integrate PES into organisational policies and procedures [29,34]. This is surprising considering the importance of routine physical capability testing (particularly for emergency service workers), to ensure the safety of incumbents, work colleagues and the public.…”

“…Indeed, little has been published articulating the most appropriate methods of safely managing incumbents that fail to meet PES due to a lack of physical ability or due to misclassifications in the testing process. In 2014, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine identified that due to a lack of appropriate methodologies for fitness-for-duty assessments, industrial firefighters may not be being correctly assessed for their fitness for work [34]. These concerns were echoed in 2016, when Petersen et al reported that there was an absence of resources to "advance knowledge and support best practice in this field" [29].…”

Exploring the criteria and factors affecting firefighters’ resilience: A qualitative study

“…The National Fire Protection Association has published numerous codes and standards needed for the firefighting job; however, there have been no standard approach to assess work adjustment leading to improper employee recruitments, which can endanger firefighters, their colleagues, the work environment, and their community. 18 In Iran, no medical assessment and fitness for duty has been provided for firefighters during working time and entrance medical exams have been done without considering the job difficulties. Moreover, there have been no valid criteria to assess their fitness for this job.…”