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Forklift Operator Medical Certification Examinations: A Case Study in the Need for Ongoing Occupational Health Data
Mitchel F Cordes1, Ellis D Bronstein, Marlene L Sanchez
1From the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland (M.F.C., M.L.S., P.L.K.); Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland (E.D.B.); and Smithsonian Institution, Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management, Washington, DC (P.L.K.).
Objective:
The US Navy requires medical certification examinations for forklift operators to prevent mishaps due to medical causes, but this policy's impact has not been assessed. We aimed to evaluate medical examinations' effectiveness in preventing mishaps and demonstrate the need for new record systems to analyze policy impact on safety outcomes.
Methods:
We reviewed all incident and injury records and medical examinations conducted over a 5-year period in a representative facility and tracked person-hours throughout.
Results:
No examinees were medically disqualified from certification. No incidents or injuries had an identified contributing medical factor, and no operators were subsequently medically disqualified.
Conclusions:
These medical examinations may not directly prevent mishaps. The person-hours required to perform this analysis would be prohibitive for similar assessments; data systems that can facilitate routine program analysis could solve this.
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