Tucson, AZ 85714
office (520) 795-2222
fax (520) 795-4358
Simwork Systems
The Leader in Human Performance Assessment Tools
Headlines
How ERGOS® Tests are administered
Markets
ADA:
Pre-employment and post-offer
testing
LTDI:
Long term disability insurance assessments
RWT:
Return to work employment testing
PI:
Personal injury tort and liability testing
Work Hardening:
Work conditioning and hardening
measurement
FCE/WCA:
Workers’ compensation functional capacity
evaluation and work capacity assessment
Pension benefit/disability determination:
Social
Security, private and public benefits assessment
Job Placement:
Vocational rehabilitation physical job
matching testing
Therapy Tracking:
Physical and Occupational therapy
performance measurement
Veteran's CWT Programs:
Veteran’s Administration Compensated Work
Therapy job
Markets
The ERGOS® Work Simulator and ERGOS® Sapphire Work Assessment
System are the most versatile and comprehensive functional work
capacity evaluation systems available for safely matching workers to
jobs.
The success of ERGOS® method is based upon the strict adherence
to the most widely accepted standards of physical performance (U.S.
Dept. of Labor-Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Canadian National
Occupation Classification, NIOSH guidelines, ANSI, MTM standards). As a
result, ERGOS® evaluations provides the most objective, defensible
and reproducible report of a worker’s current safe work capacities.
The ERGOS® assessment tools are used to support appropriate determination in:
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance (both state and federal)
- Long and Short - Term Disability Insurance Claims
- Americans with Disability Act Compliance
- Social Security Disability Determinations
- Personal Injury Actions
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Due to strict adherence of standards and protocols, ERGOS® evaluation reports have been used in many legal venues, both domestically and internationally.
The ERGOS® evaluation provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary report of safe worker function. Users of the ERGOS® include:
- Insurance Carriers (Health, Disability & Workers’ Comp)
- Case Managers & Claim Specialists
- Employers
- Loss Control Managers
- Safety and Risk Managers
- Physicians
- Physical Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Ergonomists
- Legal Professionals
- Chiropractors
- Exercise Physiologists
- Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
- Kinesiologists
- Veteran’s CWT Programs
How ERGOS® Tests are Administered
ERGOS® has the ability to measure 17 physical demands defined by the U.S. Department of Labor objectively in a variety of languages. Each applicant can be assigned an anonymous ID so there is no possible way to know the gender or ethnic identity of the applicant. This prevents the assertion that bias was used in the testing process. ERGOS® can be programmed by the user to measure any or all of the physical demands defined by the job the evaluee is being compared to, or to specific or custom defined physical performance standards. The evaluee is administered each standardized test via computer-interactive participation using strict “informed-consent” protocols. This assures that each test activity is identical to previous tests whether it is the first or thousandth time administered. This prevents testing error or error in testing from occurring.
Once an evaluee has been tested, ERGOS® immediately produces evidentiary reports recording his/her performance abilities and identifies whether he/she meets selected job or performance standards. ERGOS® test reports can be used directly for job comparison or fitness for duty as well as support documentation for the user’s own reporting system.
ERGOS® was designed to meet all the standards required for a fair and objective test. It has unique features not available with other assessment tools or systems. ERGOS® provides test instructions in a standardized written and auditory manner. Test instructions are presented at an eighth grade reading level in multiple languages. All Certified ERGOS® Evaluators (CEE™) and Certified ERGOS® Sapphire™ Evaluators (CESE™) have been trained to administer tests the same each time given. Each test is designed to assure that the applicant knows what is required before starting so there is no possibility of testing error or bias. Test instructions are structured to assure that the legal requirements for “informed consent” are met. As with all ERGOS® testing, only the applicant can make the test proceed so there can be no claims that the test subject was forced to perform anything without full knowledge of what is expected. The applicant must affirm each new instruction before proceeding with the test. All these features are designed to protect the referral source and testing agent.
Test results are generated as soon as the test in completed. Results can be securely faxed to the referral source electronically for transmittal under HIPAA regulations or printed immediately for hard copy inclusion into the evaluee’s file.
Markets Served
- ADA
Pre-employment and post-offer testing
ERGOS® assessments in conjunction with an essential job functions analysis, provides job-specific, non-discriminatory post-offer employment evaluations. In situations where an accommodation is necessitated by a disability, the ERGOS® may be used to test the appropriateness of the potential job site modification or the alternate job function.
- LTDI
Long Long term disability insurance assessments
ERGOS® assessments are designed to provide the work ability data required when the LTDI case reaches the “any occupation” policy benchmark. The ERGOS® assessment can also be forwarded to the evaluee’s disability pension application should he/she be found to meet the any occupation disability standard. - RWT
Return to work employment testing
ERGOS® has the ability to match the injured worker to the job demand of the employer enabling expedient, safe return to work. Using the ERGOS® to measure the returning worker’s physical capacities also enables the health professional and the employer consider safe alternate or modified job duties.
- PI
Personal injury tort and liability testing
ERGOS® has the ability to compare the evaluee’s functional work capacity to his/her usual and customary job duties when a personal injury has occurred. Test performance data is directly compared to the evaluee’s job standard for a detailed criterion-based documentation of functional ability when issues of disability are in question.
- Work Hardening
Work conditioning and hardening measurement
The effects of de-conditioning through a lengthy medical recovery are more often the cause of extended periods of a worker’s temporary disability then the effects of the injury. The ERGOS® Work Hardening / Conditioning Program allows for the customization of program design and the exact tracking of the worker’s progress by medical and therapy professional. ERGOS® Work Hardening / Conditioning Programs are also used in conjunction with limited-duty return to work programs to safely advance workers back toward their usual and customary duties. This minimizes the impact of lost productivity for injured workers.
- FCE/WCA
Workers’ compensation functional capacity evaluation and work capacity assessment
In workers’ compensation cases where a return to work is in question, the ERGOS® evaluation can accurately match the residual functional capacities of the worker to a specific job. ERGOS® takes into consideration not only the physical strength components of the job, but also the time-motion, postural, and mental residual functional considerations of work. Due to the sophisticated technology used in the ERGOS®, the results of a few hours of testing will produce the same results as nearly 14 days of testing using traditional manual functional capacity evaluation methods.
- Pension benefit/disability determination
Social Security, private and public benefits assessment
In disability and Social Security determinations, the ERGOS® assessment method accurately matches the residual physical, mental, time-motion and postural performance capacities of the evaluee to the standards of work necessary to make an appropriate disability determination. ERGOS® assessments have been used in conjunction with the AMA Disability Impairment Rating Guidelines to verify the impact of the impairment upon the residual functional capacities of the worker.
- Job Placement
Vocational rehabilitation physical job matching testing
The most frequent concern of potential employers and vocational rehabilitation clients is whether or not the job can be accomplished when the worker’s abilities may be impaired. The ERGOS® job placement evaluation, combined with an appropriate essential functions job analysis, provides the means to determine whether or not the job tasks can be safely performed. The degree of certainty provided by this evaluation enables the vocational rehabilitation professional, the prospective employer and the evaluee to establish a positive and cost-effective working relationship. - Therapy Tracking
Physical and Occupational therapy performance measurement
Once an injury has occurred, physicians and therapists often use the ERGOS® assessment to track the progress and appropriateness of therapy modalities. The ability to direct therapy for an early return-to-work has resulted in the reduction of disability related expenses (i.e. temporary disability, protracted medical care, settlements, etc.) - Veteran's CWT Programs
Veteran’s Administration Compensated Work Therapy job placement services
This Veteran’s Administration sponsored vocational rehabilitation program endeavors to match and support work ready veterans in competitive jobs. ERGOS® and Sapphire™ assessments assists the VA’s vocational rehabilitation programs by identifying community jobs that safely match the returning vet’s physical capacity. Objective physical demands testing assures that ADA reasonable accommodation is possible when matching the vet to the job and directly matches him/her to the work site job analysis.
