The relationship between the U.S. Navy fleet diver physical screening test and job task performance

The development of job-related selection and training methods will improve safety and lead to substantial cost savings to the U.S. Navy through enhanced screening and productivity. The present investigation determined the extent to which the current U.S. Navy fleet diver physical screening test predicted performance of five representative physically demanding job tasks. Subjects were 146 male diver candidates (age 25.1 +/- 4.3 years, X +/- SD, range 18-37 years) undergoing training at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, Panama City, FL. Results indicate the current U.S. Navy fleet diver physical screening test provides a poor estimate of representative job task performance for the population of diver candidates tested. A finding of particular operational significance was that a substantial number of diver candidates who passed current physical screening test standards were unable to complete (i.e., failed) the tool-bag swim (18.5%) and fin-kick (25.7%) tasks. Results suggest the current screening test has limited utility for physical selection purposes and underscore the need for developing a requirements-based selection battery to ensure that diver physical capabilities are aligned to the job.