Job Dictionary Development


Defining Job Demands with Precision

EMP Onsite: Work Strong, Work Safe

EMP Onsite’s Job Dictionary Development service provides a comprehensive, evidence-based catalogue of the physical, cognitive, and environmental demands of every role within your organisation.


Using structured onsite assessment, motion analysis, and clinician-led evaluation, each job role is broken down into measurable components that define what safe, capable performance looks like. The resulting job dictionaries become the foundation for safer recruitment, targeted training, effective injury prevention, and efficient return-to-work planning.


All job dictionaries are housed within the EMP Risk Portal, ensuring secure digital access, version control, and easy integration with functional assessments, pre-employment screening, and task risk profiling.

Key Benefits

  • Provides a consistent, objective baseline for assessing role demands.
  • Strengthens recruitment, onboarding, and redeployment decisions.
  • Reduces mismatch between worker capacity and job requirements.
  • Enables targeted injury prevention and work design improvements.
  • Supports compliance with WHS and anti-discrimination legislation.
  • Integrates directly with the EMP Risk Portal for ongoing data use.

Core Features

1. Task & Role Analysis


Our clinicians conduct onsite observation, interviews, and workflow mapping to identify all essential job tasks, tools used, frequencies, and environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, shift, noise, posture).


2. Physical Demand Assessment


Each task is quantified using validated ergonomic and biomechanical assessment tools to determine forces, repetitions, postures, and durations. This includes both static and dynamic loads, informed by human performance technology such as force measurement and wearable movement analysis.


3. Cognitive & Environmental Mapping


Where relevant, tasks are also evaluated for cognitive, sensory, and environmental load, helping capture the full spectrum of human performance factors influencing safety and productivity.


4. Documentation & Validation


All findings are compiled into structured job dictionary entries that describe each task, physical demand level, and frequency. Drafts are validated with workers, supervisors, and HSE leads before publication in the EMP Risk Portal.


5. Integration with EMP Ecosystem


Once approved, the digital job dictionaries are uploaded to the EMP Risk Portal, linking directly to Job Task Assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations, and Pre-Employment Screening modules, enabling live comparison between worker capability and job demands.

Optional Enhancements

  • AI Assisted Task Risk Assessment: Automatically identifies high risk movements and postures from recorded job footage.
  • Human Performance Technology Integration: Force and strength testing devices provide quantified load data for validation.
  • Link to Functional Assessments: Enables pre-employment and RTW benchmarking directly against job specific requirements.
  • Wearable Motion Data Capture: Real time movement and posture tracking for high risk or repetitive tasks.
  • Task Redesign Consultation: Ergonomic optimisation recommendations to reduce strain and fatigue.

Proven Impact

Industry

Logistics & Transport

Result

+ roles documented nationally network

ROI / Outcome

Improved recruitment accuracy and RTW efficiency

Retail Distribution

Role dictionaries embedded into EMP Portal for all sites/roles

Faster, standardised onboarding and screening

Government & Utilities

Full body of work aligned with WHS Regulation compliance

Clear, defensible documentation of inherent job demands

Why Organisations Choose the EMP Onsite

  • Clinically validated job demand mapping methodology.
  • Full integration with the EMP Risk Portal and related services.
  • National coverage with industry specific expertise.
  • Evidence based documentation supporting recruitment and safety.
  • Proven ROI through reduced claims and improved workforce matching.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a Job Dictionary?

    A Job Dictionary is a structured record describing each role’s physical, cognitive, and environmental demands, used to ensure safe hiring, injury prevention, and return-to-work planning.

  • Who develops EMP's Job Dictionaries?

    They are developed by EMP Onsite’s allied health professionals (physiotherapists, ergonomists, and exercise physiologists) under national clinical governance and validated with site representatives.

  • Can the Job Dictionaries be integrated with our HR or safety systems?

    Yes. The digital versions stored in the EMP Portal can be linked to existing HR, recruitment, or WHS management systems for seamless access and version control.

  • Do you include non-physical (cognitive, emotional, or environmental) demands?

    Yes. Each dictionary includes cognitive, sensory, emotional, and environmental factors such as concentration, shift work, noise, temperature, and fatigue exposure where relevant.

  • How often should Job Dictionaries be reviewed?

    We recommend a review every 2–3 years or whenever there are major changes to job design, equipment, or operational processes.

  • How is the information stored and accessed?

    Securely within the EMP Portal, with permissions for HR, HSE, and rehabilitation staff to access approved versions for reference, comparison, and audit purposes.

Our proven programs typically deliver a 30% reduction in Workers’ Compensation claims and premium costs in addition to improving the workplace culture and the performance of individual workers and teams.
Contact EMP Onsite today to discuss how we can assist your organisation!

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