Re: Position Announcement - Cornell - 40 lbs of dust

["Kevin. Mac Donnell" <info@MACDONNELLRAREBOOKS.COM>]

The open question is whether the ability to lift 40 lb. is an "essential job
> function," that is, whether it is "fundamental or necessary to the
> position."
>

Exactly so, and it depends on the particular situation. In a smaller
institution the archivist might be pretty much on their own to do their own
heavy-lifting; in a larger library there might be studs a'plenty who come
running when you put your lips together and whistle.

  But it would behoove an enlightened employer to craft their
> job descriptions so as not to discourage qualified candidates with
> disabilities from applying

You are being too kind. Employers frequently invite big trouble when they
deliberately or careflessly formulate job descriptions that discriminate on
the basis of race, religion, sex, certain physical disabilities, etc.


 Weight-training is not required in library school.
>

Yeah, but it couldn't hurt -- if MLS students today look anything like those
I remember from library school.

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Poul Henningsen" <phdotcom@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME>
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 3:17 PM
Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Position Announcement - Cornell - 40 lbs of dust


> > In the case of a firefighter, it would obviously not be reasonable to
ask
> someone else to climb a ladder for you, but in the case of an archivist,
it
> MIGHT be reasonable to ask someone else to do the heavy lifting as a
> reasonable accommodation to a physical disability.
>
> Employers don't really like to accommodate employee disabilities, which is
> why it was necessary to enact a law to compel them to do so under limited
> circumstances.  .
>
> It might be more convenient for the employer to have someone on the job
with
> the ability to heft 40-lb. boxes without assistance, but is that ability
> really essential, fundamental, or necessary to the job of an archivist?
>> ph/NYC
>
> Oprindelig meddelelse sendt 1/26/06 3:46 PM fra "Kevin. Mac Donnell"
> <info@MACDONNELLRAREBOOKS.COM>:
>
> > Physical requirements must be justified by the job description. For
example,
> > fire-fighters you must be able to do certain tasks (drag a dummy of a
> > certain weight, lift and place a large ladder, etc.). Somebody applying
for
> > an office position in a fire department would not have those tasks as
part
> > of their job description and not be required to be able to do those
things.
> >
> > If an archivist's job description includes moving archival containers of
a
> > certain weight, then they could be required to be able to lift a certain
> > weight. Other job descriptions in the same library might not include
that
> > task, and therefore not include that requirement. But the employer
should be
> > extremely careful to match their employee requirements to the specifics
in
> > their written job description.
> >
> > But the dust requirement could be a problem. "Must breath dust" is not a
> > legal part of anybody's job description (hence, the requirement that you
> > must be able to breath dust), and face masks and filters are relatively
> > cheap protection that nearly anybody can wear. In that regard you might
be
> > interested to know that fire-fighters are required to be able to wear
such
> > protective gear, which means that some styles of beards would render an
> > applicant unfit to be a firefighter since that would compromise such
face
> > masks.
> >
> > Kevin
> > @
> > Mac Donnell Rare Books
> > 9307 Glenlake Drive
> > Austin TX 78730
> > 512-345-4139
> > info@macdonnellrarebooks.com
> > Member: ABAA, ILAB
> > **************************
> > You may browse our books at
> > www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "S. COX" <scox75@VERIZON.NET>
> > To: <EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME>
> > Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 2:01 PM
> > Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Position Announcement - Cornell - 40 lbs of dust
> >
> >
> >> Is the lifting requirement for all professional librarians at Cornell,
in
> >> this instance, or just for the Special Collections professionals?  And
if
> >> so, why should some professionals have to be physically strong, while
> > their
> >> equals in other departments are not expected to lift anything?
> >>
> >>
> >>                                                     ----Shelley Cox
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Kevin. Mac Donnell" <info@MACDONNELLRAREBOOKS.COM>
> >> To: <EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME>
> >> Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 1:39 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Position Announcement - Cornell - 40 lbs of
dust
> >>
> >>
> >>> The lifting requirement is legitimate and common for many jobs, but
that
> >>> "dust" requirement might possibly run afoul of ADA II, and OSHA
> >>> regulations,
> >>> things I deal with regularly in my other life as a fire commissioner.
> >>> Generally speaking an employer must provide a safe work environment or
> >>> else
> >>> provide protective measures and equipment when the work must take
place
> > in
> >>> an unsafe environment. You might ask a lawyer to help reword that
> >>> requirement so it doesn't sound like a demand that employees be able
to
> >>> work
> >>> in a dusty environment without safety precautions.
> >>>
> >>> Kevin
> >>> @
> >>> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> >>> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> >>> Austin TX 78730
> >>> 512-345-4139
> >>> info@macdonnellrarebooks.com
> >>> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> >>> **************************
> >>> You may browse our books at
> >>> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "Karen Morse" <kewalton@BUFFALO.EDU>
> >>> To: <EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:31 AM
> >>> Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Position Announcement - Cornell - 40 lbs of
dust
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> re. 40 lbs:
> >>>> This requirement is fairly standard for archival jobs because
> > archivists
> >>>> tend to spend a lot of time lugging around full record cartons.
> >>>> My guess is that the Assistant Curator will also be working with
> >>> manuscript
> >>>> material.
> >>>> Cheers,
> >>>> Karen
> >>>> __________________________________________________________
> >>>> Karen Walton Morse ~ Processing Archivist
> >>>> Special Collections ~ SUNY at Buffalo
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
>
>