Physical standards benchmarks to have multiple benefits
News Item
- Date:
- 7 October, 2011
Establishing benchmarks for physical standards in military job categories will have a number of benefits, including reducing injury, DSTO Human Performance Scientist Dan Billing said.
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- Dr Tim Doyle PhD (left) from Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) makes final adjustments to Aircraftman Cohen Tham’s GPS and Heart Rate Monitor
The Physical Employment Standards program is developing a series of physical assessments and standards that can be used to recruit, train and retain capable personnel for specific jobs in the Australian Defence Force. The program is being conducted by DSTO with support from the University of Wollongong.
The program aims to assess the physical demands of different employment categories across the Australian Defence Force, and there are about 150 of those.
Current focus of the research is on the employment categories which have restrictions on women.
The research begins with identifying the tasks associated with each of the employment categories and measuring the physical demands of those tasks.
“We look at the qualitative and quantitative requirements using a range of different scientific techniques and measures, and that allows us to have an objective understanding of exactly what the requirements are,” Dr Billing said in an interview.
“And the big impact for this work is it'll generally contribute to making the Defence Force personnel more directly conditioned to their role and that will have flow-on effects, such as reducing injury and improving combat effectiveness.”
Listen to the whole interview with ABC Radio National’s Life Matters program.
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is part of Australia's Department of Defence. DSTO's role is to ensure the expert, impartial and innovative application of science and technology to the defence of Australia and its national interests.
