Job Demands Analysis (JDA)

We take referrals from insurers, insurance brokers, occupational health providers and employers. A JDA is useful wherever a decision about work capacity needs accurate information about the role itself: planning a graduated return to work, preparing a work conditioning or work hardening rehabilitation plan, or assessing reasonable adjustment options in line with DSE and HSE legislation.

It is also commissioned alongside our other assessments. Role data from a JDA gives a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) or chronic pain abilities determination (CPAD) a concrete benchmark to test against.

The assessment typically takes two to four hours and is carried out at the workplace. Our practitioner observes the role being performed and records the demands of each task in detail.

Depending on the role, several people may contribute: the employee returning to the role, their supervisor or line manager, and a colleague who performs the same tasks and can verify the demands described. In production plants and assembly areas, engineers are often involved. Health and safety, occupational health and HR can also take part.

You receive a report setting out the specific demands of the employee's role, with recommendations for reasonable adjustments where appropriate. These can cover changes to equipment, task demands or work habits that would improve the employee's tolerance of the job.

The same data can form the basis of an FCE or CPAD, or feed into a graduated return to work programme or work conditioning plan, so the assessment supports the next decision rather than standing alone.