Approaches to preplacement testing and selection of workers.

Matching the worker and the job has been associated with reductions in work-related injuries and illnesses, and improvements in job performance and job satisfaction. There are two approaches: (a) selecting and training the worker to fit the job, and (b) designing the job to fit the worker (i.e., ergonomics). Most authorities prefer (b). Although job design may be applicable to many manufacturing operations, there are other jobs that are difficult to design and control and require greater dependence upon preplacement testing and selection of workers. The challenges in developing preplacement testing are (a) finding effective selection criteria, and (b) using these criteria without discriminating against handicapped, older, and female workers. In the developed countries, the most common and costly musculoskeletal disorder in industry is low back pain. Selection techniques for identifying those susceptible to low back pain can be grouped into medical examinations, strength and fitness testing, and job rating...