FI120076B - Tools for assessing work ability - Google Patents

Description

WORKABILITY ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT

The invention relates to a device for evaluating a person's working ability, which device comprises at least two layers formed of different, detachable pieces.

5 Today, there are major changes in the world of work, and many people are forced to change jobs more often than in the past. In addition, people are exposed to greater physical, mental and / or social stress at work and in their spare time. Therefore, more extensive studies and surveys are needed to assess an individual's ability to work and to assist them. The studies assess the physical, psychological, social, and professional conditions of 10 people for coping at work.

There are very few assessment methods that measure practical working ability. The methods used focus on separate assessments of physical performance and psychological tests. In the early stages of the research, the so-called. alkukar-15 nutrition tasks. An initial mapping exercise is a busy, hands-on task that a client performs, for example, during the early stages of a research or rehabilitation period related to vocational rehabilitation. Initial mapping exercises aim to provide a good overview of a person's practical work and operational ability. These are used to select future assignments and assess the suitability of the individual assignments.

20 In the past, technically oriented initial mapping tasks have been used for the initial survey of working capacity. One task is to assemble the lock set. In the assignment, the person works according to written instructions, building a complete padlock on the parts. If problems occur, additional guidance is given to the person. The person first practices collecting the locks for about an hour, after which he assembles 25 dozen locks as quickly as he can. A time of less than seven and a half minutes is estimated as good or excellent. Performance over twelve minutes is judged to be poor.

Another initial mapping task is to draw, disassemble and assemble the wiring harness according to the spoken instructions. Oral instructions are given in the same terms to all 30 rehabilitators. The management position is also given additional guidance when needed. A person draws a wiring diagram on screen paper using a ruler. Once the person has drawn the diagram, the work experiment supervisor checks the drawing and then disconnects the wires from the diagram. The person then begins to reconnect the wires 2 according to his or her own drawing, taking into account the time spent on the task and the cleanliness of the job.

Existing tasks are light-weight, desk-based tasks, whether sitting or standing. Tasks were taken up over 20 5 years ago. There is a need to develop more comprehensive methods for assessing work ability, along with general work-related changes.

German patent application DE-19998449 discloses a puzzle for use by young children or for therapeutic purposes. The puzzle has vertical levels with interlocking pieces that can be used to create three-dimensional landscapes.

10 A jigsaw puzzle is otherwise a conventional jigsaw puzzle and is not physically demanding and cannot be used to perform a comprehensive assessment of work ability.

U.S. Patent No. 3578330 discloses a large-sized puzzle for exercising. The puzzle has large pieces on one level, and lifting and moving the pieces improves muscle fitness, according to the release. However, this puzzle 15 cannot be used for a comprehensive assessment of work ability, as it does not involve other functions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for evaluating a person's working capacity, which provides improvements in the methods and apparatus currently in use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means for multifaceted evaluation of a person's practical ability to work and function in terms of physical, cognitive and psychosocial capabilities.

The object of the invention is achieved by a device characterized by what is stated in the claims.

The device according to the invention includes a removable fastening means for interconnecting the layers between the superposed layers, and the device is located on a height-adjustable base. In this case, disassembly of the layers also requires removal of the fastening device. . The functional pyramid of the invention is a physically demanding and standing task. The worktop can be adjusted according to the length of the person. However, it is also possible for the person performing the task to adjust the working height to the desired height and thus to change the working positions independently. One's activity can be monitored and monitored, for example, if he / she adjusts the platform to his / her own level of work.

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In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device has three or more layers. In this case, the assessment task is more difficult and the ability to work is more versatile than when using two layers.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the surface area of the upper layer 5 of the device is smaller than the area of the pieces of the lower layer below it. Thus, the surface area of the top layer is smaller than that of the next, etc., whereby all layers are partially visible when the device is assembled. The shape of the instrument gives more versatility to the task.

The device according to the invention is a device for assessing working capacity, so-called. a functional capacity tool or 10 pyramid, which is used to evaluate an individual's working and functional ability as part of vocational rehabilitation. The Functional Pyramid is intended to assess the working capacity of the working-age adult population. It is used as a basis for selecting future assignments and evaluating the suitability of different assignments.

The tool, the functional pyramid, is used, for example, as follows: 15 The person is initially given verbal instructions to start working. The person is facing a collapsed pyramid, such as a three-layer device, which he first draws and disassembles. The person removes the top layer pieces in the marked box. After moving the pieces, the person detaches the next securing means over the middle layer, such as using a metal frame 20 tool (such as a hexagon key, for example). After removing the frame, the person draws a sketch on the square paper on the middle layer using the desired scale (eg 1 square = 5 cm). The person then unloads the pieces and places them on the floor. Next, the person removes the clamping device, i.e. the frame, on top of the ground floor, again using the tools, after which the person draws a pattern drawing from the ground floor and disassembles the pieces on the floor. Before the second step, the work experiment supervisor checks the person's model drawings and the pieces on the floor for confusion.

In the second step, the person assembles the two lower layers of the pyramid according to their own drawing sketches. In order to assemble the top layer, the person is provided with a finished 30 drawing of a pattern of pieces. The table level at which the person is working must be adjustable. Initially, the person will be given the opportunity to adjust the level, but no instructions will be given on ergonomic working, since this will allow them to observe what kind of work positions they will voluntarily choose. At the beginning of the task, the person is given a follow-up form, which records the time spent on the various stages of work 4 and any problems or feelings that occur during the task. In addition, the breaks and their causes shall be recorded on the tracking form.

Various abilities of a person, such as sensomotor, cognitive and psychosocial abilities, can be observed with the device according to the invention.

5 Sensory motor abilities can be observed in several ways. Coarse-motor dynamic motion and repetition is observed by tracking the lifting and moving of pieces during the disassembly and assembly stages. Fine-motor eye-hand coordination and finger dexterity are observed by following drawing, disassembly of the frames, and the concept of upper layer pieces. The force is observed by monitoring the lifting and moving of the ground floor fires. Durability is measured by looking at the overall performance of the task. Controlled handling of the pieces gives a picture of the person's coordination and the overall balance of the task.

Cognitive abilities are monitored and observed in several ways. Orientation, 15 thoughts, and memory are needed to understand the task and receive instructions. By following a person's actions following the instructions given, one can observe the person's own initiative and ability to follow the instructions given. Attention and attention are needed to avoid mistakes. Problem situations will occur, in which the ability to solve problems as well as the ability to request guidance / help is observed. 20 Observing a person's work carefully, drawing, attaching frames, laying layers, and creating images provides information on the subject. a person's accuracy and spatial perception, as well as imaging ability. In addition, overall performance on the task communicates focus, perseverance and the vitality of working.

25 Psychosocial abilities are monitored in different ways. Overall performance is about maintaining motivation, being able to withstand the pressures of work, self-confidence and belief in one's own abilities. Interaction and emotion expression skills can be observed by monitoring communication, endurance, and identifying personal experiences of doing the task. Decision-making, problem-solving, and responding to challenges can be monitored by looking at how a person responds to problem situations. In addition, the attitude towards monitoring and giving feedback on the work reflects the individual's ability to accept observation and criticism.

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The design of the functional pyramid takes into account the fact that random execution of the task is highly unlikely. There are not many pieces of the same size and shape in the tool, the action ability pyramid. Of course, the shape, construction and mode of use of the device may vary between different embodiments of the invention.

The Functional Pyramid is used to determine and observe a person's overall coping, concentration, perseverance, hand use and dexterity, hand motility, hand-eye cooperation, perception, new job orientation, work commitment, flexibility, self-motivation, self-motivation, , quality performance, ability to understand, follow, and absorb verbal instructions, and physical performance on a task.

The individual is able to carry out the task independently according to the instructions given without constant supervision. In addition, the task is long enough to allow assessment of commitment and persistence 15. In addition, the tool is suitable for both men and women and does not require any special skills. It also has the advantage that the task can be interrupted and continued after some time.

The advantages of the functional pyramid compared to previous initial mapping tasks are the possibility of step staging and variation of the task, the realization of versatile working positions and the section on physical workload.

Mental health rehabilitators in practice have different types of difficulties, such as musculoskeletal problems. For this reason, it is convenient and advantageous that the functional pyramid function can be modified and staggered as necessary. The versatile design of the instrument makes this possible. 25 Assuming that a person has problems with certain functions / tasks, for example, only those sections during which such problems occur may be used in the functional pyramid. Or, if you wish, you can omit sections that you know beforehand that the person will not cope with.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a functional pyramid obliquely viewed, Fig. 2 shows a functional pyramid oblique top view removed, 6 Fig. 3 shows the middle layer of a functional pyramid the functional pyramid obliquely viewed from above and the upper and middle layers removed, and Figure 5 shows the lower layer of the functional pyramid, viewed directly from above.

The evaluation tool shown in this application is a three-layer pyramid-like structure having a base layer 1 of 120 cm x 120 cm x 20 cm. The device is disposed on a table 9 serving as a base, which is preferably height adjustable. The adjustment is effected in a known manner 10 e.g. by changing the height of the legs of the table, but is not shown here. In this embodiment, the base layer 1 has a total of 17 pieces 4 of various sizes and shapes, the weight of which varies between 2 and 4 kg. On the base layer there is a fastening means 7 fastened to it by screws, which is a metal frame. This defines a location for the middle layer 2. In this embodiment, the middle layer 2 is 15 by 80 cm x 80 cm x 10 cm. The floor has 14 pieces of 5 different sizes and shapes, with a weight ranging from 1 to 2 kg. The pieces in the middle layer are different in shape than those in the bottom layer, but the material of both layers is wood. The middle layer also has a metal frame acting as a fastening means 8 for fixing screws, which defines a position for the top layer 20 3. The top layer is 40 cm x 40 cm x 5 cm. The top layer in this embodiment has 64 pieces in total 64 and each piece is cubic and 5 cm x 5 cm x 5 cm in size. The top layer cubes form a pattern, which in this embodiment is the ID of the Disabled Association (hand drawing). The top layer cubes are of relatively heavy material, such as 25 soapstone.

Possible modifications and alternative applications of the solution according to the invention are possible within the scope of the inventive idea of the claims. Thus, the size of the device, the number of layers, the dimensions of the parts and pieces, the placement, and the materials used may be different from those described above.

Claims (3)

A device for evaluating a person's working capacity, comprising at least two layers (1, 2, 3) formed mainly of different, detachable pieces (4, 5, 6), characterized in that the device comprises a removable fastening device between the layers. means (7, 8) for joining the layers to each other, and for positioning the device on a height-adjustable support (9). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that there are three or more layers. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the surface area of the upper layer is smaller than the area of the layer below it.