Validation of the U.S. Navy Fleet Diver Physical Screening Test

The development of job-related selection and training methods will improve safety and lead to substantial cost savings to the Navy through enhanced screening and productivity. The present investigation determined the extent to which the current U.S. Navy fleet diver physical screening test predicted performance of 5 representative physically demanding job tasks. Subjects were 146 male diver candidates age 25.1 4.3 yr, X - SD, range 18-37 yr undergoing training at the Naval Diving Salvage and Training Center, Panama City, FL. Results indicate the current U.S. Navy fleet diver physical screening test provides a poor estimate of representative job task performance for the population of diver candidates tested. A finding of particular operational significance was that a substantial number of diver candidates who passed current physical screening test standards were unable to complete i.e, failed the tool-bag swim 18.5 and fin-kick 25.7 tasks. Results suggest the current screening test has limited utility for physical selection purposes and underscore the need of developing a requirements-based selection battery to ensure that diver physical capabilities are aligned to the job.