Designing criterion measures for physically demanding jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 39.1% of the civilian workforce in the United States performs physically demanding jobs that require lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling, kneeling, stooping, crawling, and climbing activities in varied environmental conditions. United States military occupations are similar to those in the civilian sector involving equipment installation, emergency rescues, and maintenance, along with combat arms occupations. This article provides an overview of the types of criterion measures used to assess the physical domain and approaches for designing and evaluating the criteria. It also includes a method for generating criterion measures that are applicable across multiple jobs.