hand/wrist

In its neutral position, the wrist is held straight to slightly extended (the knuckles slightly higher than the forearm, as in a handshake). Awkward postures of the wrist include extreme wrist bending (i.e. flexion and extension) and wrist deviation (radial and ulnar deviation).
 

handle grip forces

For highly repetitive tasks, required grip forces should not exceed 15% of an individual’s one-time maximum grip force; for occasional tasks, 30%; and for infrequent tasks, 50%.
 

handling

Defined by the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs as seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand or hands. Fingers are involved only to the extent that they are an extension of the hand, such as to turn a switch or shift automobile gears. In Part A of “Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined” in the revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the rating for the handling component appears ninth in the first physical demand column under the vertical heading “Ha.”
 

health care provider

A physician who specializes in occupational medicine, or a registered nurse specializing in occupational health, or other health personnel (such as emergency medical technicians) working under the supervision of a physician or a registered nurse.
 

hearing

Defined by the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs as perceiving the nature of sounds by ear. In Part A of “Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined” in the revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the rating for the hearing component appears third in the second set of physical demand ratings under the vertical heading “He.”
 

heart rate analysis to evaluate effort

Defined by Matheson as the monitoring of heart rate to determine exertion levels in persons attempting full physical effort on repetitive, large-muscle-group activity. While there is no exact value to prove full effort, Matheson evaluators are trained to use a baseline rate of 65% to 70% of the client’s maximum allowable heart rate (220 minus age).

This number should be adjusted up or down for persons who are very fit or very deconditioned. A further consideration is medications that can affect heart rate, such as beta-blockers and antihistamines. One must be cautious in implementing a too-low heart rate elevation to show full effort, as non-effort-related factors can also increase heart rate to some extent (e.g. nervousness, apprehension, anxiety, white-coat syndrome, caffeine, nicotine). Evaluators should minimize such external factors where possible, and ask clients directly if they feel nervous or anxious during relevant tests. (Kyi, Enright, 1999)

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“This Ergonomics Evaluation Certification Program is extremely valuable. Dr. LaCourse is an excellent instructor with years of hands-on experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reducing cumulative trauma disorders.”

“Also, I just completed my very first FCE today……. And it was AWESOME!!! I could hear you talking in the back of my head the whole time! Very exciting!! Thanks for such a great learning experience!”

“I was so impressed with my entire Matheson experience.”

“As a provider of FCEs for 12-plus years, I have been through several training programs. I would recommend Matheson without reservation. Thanks to your training, my staff is the best prepared in my area. It has made a difference for my business and has set us ahead of our competition.”

“Far and away the best certification course I have attended in my seven-year professional career. The instructors are knowledgeable and apply all of the information to real-world scenarios. Thank you!”

This Ergonomics Evaluation Certification Program is extremely valuable. Dr. LaCourse is an excellent instructor with years of hands-on experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reducing cumulative trauma disorders.”

“Of all the FCE training I have received, Matheson is the most evidence-based. I like that it is a battery of standardized tests, and not a standard battery of tests. It also requires thinking as an evaluator, unlike other programs that don’t allow you to consider any non-quantitative factors, which results in an opinion of functional capacity lacking in external validity. The Matheson FCE makes the most of what is available right now.”

“The Amended ADA Webinar was outstanding and I really appreciate your willingness to do them.  You have gotten to the heart of the matter in the “gray areas” that people have familiarity with, but are not comfortable discussing.  I treasure every one of these webinars.  They have helped me be a better evaluator and allowed me to speak intelligently to our employers and other referral sources.”

“I just wanted to e-mail you and let you know that I found this webinar to be extremely helpful to me in my position as an the on site PT manager. In my opinion your webinar provided excellent information about the ADA issues we may face and invaluable advice to avoid legal pitfalls related to our work site analysis and testing procedures.”

“We are utilizing the Matheson philosophy not only for Functional Capacity Evaluation, but also for the foundation of interdisciplinary treatment of chronic pain patients at our clinic in Waltham MA, Boston PainCare. The culture of function is throughout all of our departments, interventional, functional rehabilitation, medication management, sleep, and behavioral.
Spending the week training for FCEs in Keene, NH was very exciting as it allowed me to know that we are not only on the…”

The instructors did an excellent job of breaking down the complex concepts into the most simple and understandable pieces of information. My folders of countless papers from various sources, both online and off, have been consolidated into one well-laid out reference book!

Thank you for having the Essential Function Job Analysis course available. I have been doing job analyses and post offer test formulation at my company for 8 years now and this course taught me that we need to (and will) make some adjustments to our procedures to better defend any possible legal challenges. That means a great deal to me as a business owner.

“Your webinars have made me a better evaluator and allowed me to speak intelligently to our employers and other referral sources.”

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