Pre-employment physicals are critical for employers to ensure that their workforce is fit and healthy to perform their job efficiently. The pre-employment medicals provide a comprehensive medical history and examination of potential hires, revealing any pre-existing medical conditions or injuries that could impact their performance or pose a risk to the organization.
Why Should You Identify Health Issues Early In Your Employees
Pre-employment medicals identify any health-related issues before you employ the potential candidate. It helps with fair hiring, timely treatment, or letting go of the candidate due to his health issues. And it allows you to screen the best person for the job.
Protection Against Liability
To start, pre-employment medicals are protection against liability. In addition to catching the illness early on, they shield your organization against liability. With pre-employment medicals, you will have a record of your employee’s condition, and you will be able to prove that he had the illness before he started working in your organization.
Any subsequent injury or illness resulting from his pre-existing condition can’t become a liability to your organization if you have proper records of the candidate’s pre-employment medicals.
Apart from protection against liability, you can also do a drug screening and check for any impairment or substance use. These are all dangerous in industries like handling heavy machinery or transport.
The DOT (Department of Transportation) requires all its drivers to pass a physical and mental fitness test. This requirement comes from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) because drivers handle commercial motor vehicles, considered heavy vehicles.
The DOT medicals are taken every two years to keep the roads safe.
What Does a Pre-employment Medical Include?
The pre-employment medicals vary from industry to industry and state to state. On average, they may include checks on the candidate’s health, past injuries, substance abuse, and physical fitness. For example, for a seasoned hire that is light work, you can go for basic pre-employment medical; you can get these pre-medicals at any occupational health care facility.
Pre-employment Medicals May include:
- Medical History Of the Candidate: The candidate must provide full medical history. It may include his allergies, medical condition, injuries or surgeries, and chronic conditions.
- Physical Examination: The candidate will also undergo a simple physical test to assess his blood pressure, heart condition, and other vital signs.
- Laboratory Examinations: The Labs include screening for drugs and taking a blood test to check for other apparent illnesses. The drug test also varies from state to state, but it’s a requirement by law.
- Hearing and Vision Examination: For the medical and transport industry, candidates must also undergo vision and hearing examinations.
Conclusion
pre-employment physicals are a critical component of any hiring process, enabling employers to ensure that their workforce is healthy, fit, and capable of performing their duties efficiently. With protection against liability, early identification of health issues, and mandatory requirements for some industries, pre-employment medicals are an indispensable tool for employers looking to create a safe and productive working environment.