Pre-Employment Physical Exam: Everything You Need to Know about Tests
Pre-employment
is the part of the on-boarding process for most of the companies. The purpose
of the exam is to make sure that the employee is physically and mentally fit
for the exam. The guidelines are provided by the Occupation Safety and Health
Administration or the local Department of Health for pre-employment testing.
In addition, the companies also review the potential employee work and medical history. The test in simple words ensures that the employee’s physical and mental health complies with the nature of the job. It can be either a long or short process, depending on the nature of the job.
It
is also called a pre-placement test or a Human Performance Evaluation, the
physicals help companies to get an overview of the prospective employee’s
overall health status. Moreover, it also enables them to make a better choice
while hiring new candidates. The physical test can also be utilized for record
keeping on the basis of establishing metrics. It helps the company to monitor
any changes in the employee’s health over a certain time.
Types of Pre-employment Tests
Generally,
Employee Physical Exam includes checking the employee’s overall signs of
health. A qualified healthcare professional or nurse checks the employee’s
blood pressure, temperature, pulse and employee’s weight. Moreover, the doctor
or nurse will also examine the employee’s cardiovascular and respiratory
health, vision, reflexes and standard physical checks.
In
addition, the doctor will also take note of things like swelling and bruises
and ask questions about how it happened. They may also ask about medications
taken, ability to handle stress, and behavioral and mood changes etc.
Drug Screening Tests
The pre-employment physical
exam also includes drug test screening. They are categorized
into following classes such as:
- Hair
drug and alcohol screening
- Sweat
drug screening
- Saliva
drug screening
- Urine
drug screening
Before
an employee can start at the new workplace, the employees are asked to take one
of the drug or alcohol tests to ensure competency for the job. Highly risky
jobs where employees have to handle dangerous chemicals or lift heavy equipment
are normally asked to go through drug screening. Being intoxicated on the job
raises the risk of injury to the coworkers or employee.
Employers
from bigger companies require employees to stay away from drugs and alcohol.
Some companies also take random drug and alcohol test to make sure that the
workplace is drug-free.
The
job seekers in the labor industry should avoid any nutritional supplements and
drugs that can result in drowsiness, or nausea, which can directly affect the
operation of heavy machinery.
Stamina and Physical Ability
Tests
Pre-employment
physicals that test energy and stamina are more relevant for jobs involving
lifting or heavy labor work. Apart from monitoring the energy and stamina,
these tests also look for flexibility and strength of the potential employee.
The
physical ability test will make sure that the employee is able to resist the
labor work and other demands of the job. It helps employers to also select
people who are less likely to get hurt while on the job. In a few points, the
physical ability test is to review:
- Cardiovascular
health
- Muscular
tension
- Power
- Balance
- Flexibility
- Overall
attitude under physical constraints
Pre-employment
exams test a worker on functional tasks such as pushing pulling, lifting and
carrying heavy loads. For this specific test, an employer may send the employee
to a physical therapist, who then creates the test based on the physical
demands of the job. The therapist or doctor may ask questions about lifestyle,
exercise, family history and diet to give the employer an overall profile of
the employee’s health status.
Psychological Tests
The
psychological tests involve pre-employment exam involves testing the new
employee’s mental health. In the test, the physician will ask different
questions and look over the psychological wellbeing and make sure that the
employee deals ideally with stress on the job.
Some
jobs are physically demanding, but more than that they can be psychologically
demanding. For this purpose, the doctor may conduct other tests or
ask questions of the employee from any history of mood fluctuations or history
of depression.
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