Abstract
Individuals who have safety sensitive and/or physically strenuous occupations typically undergo a pre-placement / post-offer evaluation or a return to work evaluation following an injury or illness absence. A Fitness for Duty determination is made prior to these workers performing their usual and customary job tasks. Some training is physically strenuous and may or may not be a routine requirement for workers. Individuals who participate in physically strenuous training need to be medically evaluated and cleared prior to participating in that training.
This article describes the industry leading best practices to incorporate a medical examination and functional capacity evaluation (FCE) into a medical evaluation protocol, which allows the occupational health provider to make a medical clearance determination for workers to participate in Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET). This training is commonly provided to military personnel or workers in the offshore oil and gas industry who are transported to and from operations by helicopters over water. The purpose of the training is to prepare the workers in the case of a crash landing over water and involves simulated sinking of the training module in a pool while rotating the module upside down. Students are trained on bracing for impact, identifying exit points, and safely escaping the module. Workers also complete Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) or other Water Survival Training along with the HUET. For consistency of nomenclature, the term HUET will be used in this paper.
The medical evaluation for HUET consists of a health questionnaire and medical exam, cardiovascular screening, FCE and medical clearance. The scope of the HUET FCE is guided by a functional job description that objectively documents the training requirements specific to HUET. This medical evaluation and clearance process also provides a mechanism to periodically monitor individuals who may be required to perform physically strenuous tasks, including those persons for which these tasks may fall outside of their typical day to day activities. These non-routine tasks (i.e. HUET) may not have been envisioned for their position at the time of hire and therefore any significant underlying medical condition would not have been appropriately evaluated.
