Opinion ID: 773221
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Medical Exams

Text: 13 Kilby's physical exam was administered by Douglas Dawley, M.D., a cardiologist. Without reservation, Dr. Dawley cleared Kilby to return to work, concluding that he was capable of physically performing his job. 14 Ronald M. Turco, M.D., a psychiatrist, conducted Kilby's mental exam. Although Dr. Turco found that Kilby waspsychologically capable of driving a truck under usual circumstances, he questioned Kilby's competence to drive a hazardous gas truck because, in Dr. Turco's words, he was especially concerned that [Kilby] left his coat in my waiting room, describing Kilby's oversight as the kind of behavior that we are concerned about. Stressing the need for a more specific evaluation, Dr. Turco recommended that Kilby undergo a neuropsychological exam by Laurence Binder, Ph.D. 15 Dr. Binder conducted a battery of tests designed to probe Kilby's mental fitness from a neuropsychological perspective. In his report, Dr. Binder stated that while the tests revealed some isolated neuropsychological abnormalities,  he considered the results to be essentially normal. 16 BOC then asked Robert Thornton, M.D., the physician who regularly evaluated BOC's drivers, to interpret Kilby's exam results and offer his recommendation. Reviewing Dr. Dawley's report, Dr. Thornton concluded that Kibly was physically fit to drive commercial trucks. However, he cautioned that because Dr. Turco had not qualified Kilby to drive trucks carrying hazardous materials, Kilby's duties should be limited to non-hazardous loads. 17 Following Dr. Thornton's recommendation, BOC suspended Kilby. Teamsters challenged the suspension, and the dispute was referred back to the arbitrator to determine whether Kilby was mentally and physically fit to resume his duties.