Handling the workload when a co-worker’s out on disability can be a Herculean task. Speaking of which …

When Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo was granted accidental disability retirement, his supervisors probably envisioned him taking it easy — plenty of rest, some therapy sessions, etc.

Finishing eighth in the 2008 Pro Natural American Bodybuilding Championships? Probably not the first thing that sprang to mind.

But that’s exactly what happened. After Arroyo claimed six weeks of his full salary tax-free because he was “totally and permanently disabled,” fire commissioner Roderick Fraser learned of Arroyo’s training regimen and record as a bodybuilder.

When asked how he could claim disability while performing in the rigorous physical competitions, Arroyo told the commissioner that “bodybuilding helps ease the back pain.”

His boss’s response: “If he can lift weights, work out constantly, and enter bodybuilding contests, then he can inspect a building.”

This incident couldn’t have been at a worse time for Boston — a federal grand jury has been issuing scores of subpoenas to the city’s firefighters as part of a criminal investigation into years of questionable injury claims.

Of course, after looking at Arroyo’s claim, it’s easy to see that something wasn’t right: He reported he’d had an accident that no one witnessed, at a firehouse where he wasn’t assigned.

Tags: Bodybuilding, Boston, Disability, Injury, Retirement