BodyLab

A Specialist Physiology Facility

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Physical Job Demand Analysis

Employers are conscious of providing a safe environment for their staff. Sometimes the actual physical demands versus safe physical demands are not known and that is where we come in. Our history of work has varied from assessments at airports, ships, and factories.

Physical demands or manual handling can refer to “any activity requiring a person to interact with their environment and use any part of their muscles or skeletal system to lift, lower, push, pull, carry, throw, move, restrain or hold any animate, or inanimate, object.” (Department of Labour, USA). BodyLab’s analyses via observation, video recording, and measurements with specialist tools (eg. force gauges, 3D accelerometers).

The data we can collect is extensive. The end result can include this type of summary…

Example 1 – Factory Work

The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (1991) lists the type of work analysed as an occupation requiring “heavy” physical demands. It typically requires the ability to exert up to 23-45kg of force occasionally, 11-23kg of force frequently and 5-10kg of force constantly to move objects.

The specific physical demands of this role include:

  • Frequent pulling forces of 19kg (up to a maximum of 160 times in a day)
  • Frequent 25kg carry for <1sec (up to a maximum of 160 times in a day)
  • Frequent standing (up to 20 mins per pallet)
  • Walk up to 16km over a day
  • Be physically active for 8 hours per day at an average energy expenditure of 2.7 METs (requiring a minimum cardiovascular fitness of 10 METs to minimise fatigue)
  • Expend 3215.6 kilocalories over a day
  • Grip strength of at least 40kg on each hand (based on the average of 4 workers tested)
  • If risk to staff is picked up we will alert this with examples like this….

There is strong evidence 1,2 in the literature that supports a higher risk of injury for the lower back when there is frequent bending with load. The compressive forces on the spine are very high in this position. A way to reduce risk here is to have the empty pallet (the one for ingredients to go on) at a higher level. A Walkie Stacker for example could control this and be adjusted as the ingredients stack higher.

Cost – please call or email

Workstation Assessments

A popular service of BodyLab is our workstation assessments for staff in the workplace. Reasons for the request can include discomfort issues, a new workstation, or the assessment is requested to prevent issues from occurring.

The assessment can take 30 minutes and up to 60 minutes if it is more complex. We take before and after photographs and measurements which include forward head posture and horizontal eye position in relation to the screen. We look at the position of the lumbar support, chair height, desk height, position of keyboard, mouse and phone (elbow) position in relation to the shoulder joint.

Sit-to-Stand desks are becoming more common. We educate on standing positions along with recommendations of standing time over a working day, based on international standards1. The health and financial costs of prolonged sitting are well documented. Once employers see the evidence they are often encouraged to future-proof their business with Sit-to-Stand desks.

Adjustments are made to suit the person’s body dimensions at the time, and equipment will be recommended if needed. If anything is not quite right as a result of our adjustments, we will come back in to make further adjustments at no charge.

The assessment is also followed up with a report. A before and after photograph for example, may look something like this….

Cost – please call or email us

References

  1. Buckley JP, et al (2015), Br J Sports Med, 0:1-6, doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094618
  2. Chengalur et al (2004). Kodak’s Ergonomic Design for People at Work. John Wiley & Sons Inc, New Jersey. Second Edition.
  3. McGill, Stuart (2002, 2007). Low Back Disorders. Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation. Human Kinetics.
  4. Chek, Paul (1999). The Importance of Ergonomics in Rehabilitation. CHEK Certification Programme, Level 1.

Exercise Tolerance Test

Our Exercise Tolerance Test if often used by employers, insurance companies and GP’s. It is used to check for any underlying cardiac disease and cardiovascular capacity.

Measurements are taken by a master’s qualified Exercise Physiologist with 35 years experience. These include:

  • Height and Weight
  • Lung Function (spirometry) using ATS international standards (includes up to 8 trials, and manual interpretation). We assess expiration, lung volume and inspiration.
  • Resting ECG
  • Exercise 12 Lead ECG Test with Blood Pressure Monitoring, Gas Analysis Monitoring to determine accurate Cardiovascular Fitness or VO2max (results have a 3% margin of error with gas analysis compared to estimations without gas analysis which have a 10-20% margin of error)
  • Cardiologist report on ECG results

Cost $556.00 (excl GST)

Executive Health Check

Our complete Executive Health Check is designed to pick up health problems before they present themselves as conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke or diabetes.

Ischaemic heart disease is still the leading cause of death in New Zealand (Ministry of Health) for Maori and non-Maori.  Other top five causes include cancer (lung, colon, breast), diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cerebrovascular disease (ie. disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain with hypertension being the most important cause).  These diseases can go undetected for years with no signs or symptoms until it is too late.  Our Executive Health Check can pick up early signs of the disease process so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent the disease process from progressing.  The Check can also give you peace of mind that there is no disease process going on and your health and fitness is in good order.

Our process has three parts:

  • Full Medical (do this 2nd)
  • Warrant of Fitness Assessment (do this first)
  • Comprehensive Report

MEDICAL

Our Full Medical is a comprehensive assessment by a qualified specialist doctor. It includes:

  • Detailed medical history (personal, family, lifestyle, stress symptom profile, plus nutritional profile)
  • Medical examination of cardiovascular, respiratory, abdominal, ear/nose/throat, neurological and musculoskeletal systems, skin check, and vision testing
  • Blood tests (cholesterol, blood sugar – HbA1c, uric acid – gout, liver and kidney function including urinalysis, full blood count)

Referrals arranged to appropriate specialists if required (eg. molemap, chest X ray, mammography) – these consultations are not included in the fee.

(NB. complete the medical after you have completed the Warrant of Fitness Assessment and it doesn’t have to be on the same day)

Location for the medical: 

To be announced soon

To make an appointment:

  • Phone:
  • Email:   

Ask for the Executive Health Check Medical

WARRANT OF FITNESS

This is the second part of our process.

Measurements are taken by our master’s qualified Exercise Physiologist with 35 years experience. These include:

  • Height and Weight
  • Body composition using ISAK standards (includes 8 skinfolds, 5 circumference measurements, 2 bone breaths, all measurements taken twice and a third is completed if outside a small margin of error)
  • Lung Function (Spirometry) using ATS international standards (includes up to 8 trials, and manual interpretation). We assess expiration, lung volume and inspiration.
  • Resting ECG
  • Exercise 12 Lead ECG Test with Blood Pressure Monitoring, Gas Analysis Monitoring to determine accurate Cardiovascular Fitness or VO2max (results have a minimal 3% margin of error with gas analysis)
  • Cardiologist report on ECG results
  • Cardiac risk assessment

Location:

BodyLab

Level 1, 43 Hania St, Mt Victoria, Wellington

To book an appointment:

Ask for the Executive Health Check Warrant of Fitness Assessment.

Available for appointments 7am – 7pm Mon – Fri

Resting Metabolism

Resting Metabolism or Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is the minimum amount of calories a person requires without voluntary movement.

Feeding status and the amount of fat-free weight (ie. muscle) have the greatest impact on a person’s metabolism. This is why exercise becomes so important in weight loss programmes as it helps to develop muscle and promote an optimum metabolism. Under-eating on the other hand will reduce a person’s metabolism as this is the body’s way of protecting itself from wasting away.

If weight loss has been an issue for you then it will be worthwhile finding out your resting metabolism. This can then be monitored at different intervals to check that your eating and exercise regime is working. The advantage of testing with our technology is finding out how much fuel comes from carbohydrate and how much from fat.

The process takes about one hour. The first 20-30 minutes is a rest period prior to placing on the face mask. You then wear the mask for a further 20-30 minutes. Our goal is to find a 5-15 minute period when you are absolutely relaxed without movements or physical or mental distress.

Preparation

There are some pretesting requirements regarding meals and beverages.

These are as follows:

  • Light Meals (< 500 kcals) – 4 hr fast
  • Medium/Heavy Meals (>500 kcals) – 8 hr fast
  • Caffeine Beverages – 8-12 hr fast
  • Non caffeine beverages (ie. milk, meal substitute shakes)
  • Nicotine Use – 8-12 hr fast
  • Light to moderate exercise – Abstain 18-24 hr
  • Intense exercise – Abstain 48hr
  • Restful sleep requirements – 8-12hr

Cost – $145.00 (incl GST)

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