CITY OF VANCOUVER. David s current responsibilities under his modified return to work program include:

MEDISYS

Suite 440 – 999 W. Hastings Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6X 2W2 Tel: (604) 669-8188 Fax: (604) 669-8199 North America: 1-800-556-5644 ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONAL DEMANDS

OF THE BUILDING SERVICE WORKER POSITION PERFORMED BY DAVID DRYDEN

CITY OF VANCOUVER

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On March 22, 2001, a work site assessment was conducted at Vancouver City Hall for David Dryden. The assessment focused on the job duties that David is currently performing in his modified position as a Building Services Worker (BSW).

The assessment was performed Dr. Tim Lepard, Occupational Health physician for the City of Vancouver, and Katherine Warrendorf, Kinesiologist. Also in attendance were, Alicia Janzen, Return to Work

Coordinator, Mohammed Azam, Building Service Worker II (working supervisor), Ann Prowse, Assistant Supervisor of Building Maintenance, and Liz Duclos, Western Institute for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (interpreter).

The purpose of this assessment was to determine whether David Dryden is capable of performing critical job demands currently required of his modified position as a BSW, and to determine whether he is also capable of returning to the full duties required for a regular BSW position.

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David’s current responsibilities under his modified return to work program include:

Location: Duties:

Main Floor  Sweep and mop floor (tiled area only)

2nd Floor  Sweep and mop floor (tiled area only)

5th, 8th and 10th Floors  Empty garbage bin and recycling box form each work station

 Wipe (dust) all surfaces on entire floor  Vacuum carpet

 Sweep and mop tile flooring

 Clean sink, urinals and toilets in the men’s washroom

 Restock paper products in Men’s washroom East stair well (Ground level to 11th floor)  Sweep and mop stairs

It is the opinion of the Occupational Health Physician and Kinesiologist that the following physical demands are essential to David’s current modified BSW position.

LIFTING &CARRYING:

2. David is required to lift a bucket filled with water weighting between 20 and 35 lbs from knee level to waist level, in order to dump the water into a basin at the end of each shift. This activity is performed once during an eight hour shift.

Conclusion:

David was observed to able to perform both of these tasks without any limitations. David did not report any increased discomfort when performing these tasks.

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David is required to exert a pushing force of approximately 15 lbs in order to wring out the mop. Due to the current length of the handle on the wringer, this task requires that David either bend at the waist or assume a squatting position in order to operate the wringer handle. David has expressed concern over this task, as it bothers his lower back.

Conclusion:

David reports increased pain in his lower back when he is required to use the wringer. It is recommended that the length of the handle on the wringer be increased to a length that allows David to operate the wringer more efficiently. This modification to the wringer should help alleviate many of the lower back symptoms that David is experiencing when operating the wringer.

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Vacuuming and sweeping are essential components of David’s BSW position. David spends a

considerable portion of each shift performing these two activities. David is able to maintain a fairly neutral body position both while operating the vacuum and sweeping the floor. When questioned about sweeping and vacuuming, David did not report an increase in his symptoms when performing these activities.

Conclusion:

David was observed to be able to perform the tasks of vacuuming and sweeping without difficulty or magnification of his symptoms.

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Wet mopping is another essential component of David’s BSW position. David reports increased symptoms in his back and shoulders when mopping, particularly when removing scuff marks from the floor, and during the winter months when the floor requires more vigorous mopping due to salt/mud etc. that has been tracked in from outside.

David was observed to be able to perform the task of wet mopping without any significant biomechanical difficulties.

Conclusion:

David was observed to be able to perform the task of wet mopping with out any significant biomechanical difficulties. Mopping does however seem to increase David’s musculoskeletal symptoms. Because no biomechanical abnormalities are apparent when David is mopping, it seems likely that David’s symptoms

In order to return David to his full mopping duties, it is recommended that David embark on a program to improve his overall level of physical conditioning, concentrating specifically on his cardiovascular fitness level and on the flexibility and muscular endurance of back and abdominals.

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David occasionally has to assume an awkward posture in order to accomplish his duties as a modified BSW. During the work site assessment, awkward postures were observed in the following situations:

1. Emptying of garbage cans and recycling boxes: David occasionally assumes awkward postures when emptying the garbage cans/recycling bins as outlined previously.

2. Dusting Surfaces: Under his modified duties, David is required to dust all the exposed work surfaces on his assigned floors. At times this requires reaching in an awkward position as illustrated in the following photograph.

David has been instructed by his supervisor to only dust surfaces that he is able to reach using good biomechanics.

The task of dusting is a modified duty that is not regularly performed by David when he is working in the full capacity as a BSW.

Conclusion:

David was observed to be able to perform the task of dusting without any difficulty. However, David did complain of symptoms when he was forced to assume an awkward posture while dusting. Once David returns to his regular duties as a BSW, he will not longer be required to dust.

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The assessment demonstrated that David Dryden is capable of performing all the tasks of his present position as BSW. He does however report symptoms relating to his back while performing his duties. It is my understanding that Mr. Dryden experiences back pain while at work and at home. His physician has recommended that he preserver with his employment since this is not having a detrimental effect on his back, and to the contrary it may be beneficial. Taking this into consideration, with the observations of our assessment I would like to answer questions posed to me by the City of Vancouver.

Question 1: Is Mr. Dryden able to perform all the duties of his present accommodated position as a Building Service Worker (BSW)?

Mr.Dryden demonstrated the ability to perform all of his duties. It is my opinion that he is not at risk to further damage to his back from continuing to perform his duties.

Question 2: Is Mr. Dryden fit to perform the full duties of a BSW?

We did not have the opportunity to see a Shampooer, a Burnisher or a Polisher in operation, but we understand that these heavier machines require more upper body forces than in other areas of this position. This apparently is particularly true of the Burnisher. There is no evidence that Mr. Dryden would be unable to perform these duties. However, I would recommend that these additional duties be

introduced gradually in order to integrate them into a full position.

Question 3: Would Mr. Dryden be able to function in a Team capacity as a BSW?

I do not see any aspects of a team approach that are specifically a problem to Mr. Dryden, other than his difficulties in communication. It would be important therefore to consider this if one were to place him in a team situation.

Question 4: Additional recommendations?

1. Modify the Wringer Handle – David complains of increased symptoms when required to operate the wringer. The wringer handle should be lengthened so that David can operate it more efficiently.

2. David should be encouraged to embark on a general conditioning program, with special emphasis placed on improving his cardiovascular fitness level as well as the strength and flexibility of back and abdominal musculature.

I have elected to send this report to Mr. Dryden’s family physician, Dr. Bob Greenwood to ensure that he is agreement with my recommendations.

DR.TIM LEPARD KATHERINE WARRENDORF