In February 2020, the Trust began offering a program that focuses on reducing the likelihood of workplace injuries. The Physical Ability Evaluation Program involves physical capacity testing that school districts can use during the hiring process to identify whether the selected candidate can safely perform the essential physical functions of the offered position, with or without accommodations. This approach reasonably assures the safety of the selected candidate in job performance, prevents workplace injuries, and can reduce workers’ compensation costs.
Some of our districts had already established Physical Ability Evaluation Programs, however, there were varying degrees of challenges such as access to providers, testing costs, and time management for program coordination. The Trust saw the Physical Ability Evaluation Program as a value-added opportunity and determined that sponsoring the program would offer another no-cost benefit to our members by enhancing existing programs, remove the cited challenges, and to simplify the process along the way.
Through a partnership with Concentra Occupational Health, a national provider of workplace health solutions, the Trust utilized an existing repository of job analyses which was then integrated with testing practices from existing district programs to establish job testing protocols for high injury classifications. The result is the creation of Human Performance Evaluations (HPE).
Below is the current list of approved Concentra HPE job categories eligible for testing based on historical injury data signaling positions with the highest risk of injury:
- Custodian
- Food Service
- Maintenance (All Trades, Facilities, Grounds)
- Special Education (Paraeducators, Teachers)
- Transportation (Bus Driver, Bus Mechanics, Mobility Assistants)
The districts below have completed the transition process to Concentra Occupational Health.
- Auburn
- Federal Way
- Snohomish
- Sumner
The remaining districts with existing programs are working with us now to transition their programs. We will begin customizing the roll-out to the balance of district members in the coming months.
Please contact Steve Lyons, Loss Control Consultant with any questions you may have about the program.
