If you are hiring for a job that has a lot of physical labour it can be a good idea to get a pre-employment medical performed on the candidate before you hire them. Here are some tips to make sure that you get the right person for the job. 

Do a time and motion study on the job

When you are hiring a new person for a role this is a great opportunity to look at what the job actually requires. It can be a great idea to do a time and motion study where you look at the kind of motions and weight bearing exercise that your workers do on an ongoing basis, as well as any other requirements including vision requirements or auditory requirements. (If you do not have the internal capacity to this you can often hire occupational therapist to do this study). This means that you can structure pre-employment medicals that accurately measures the physical capacity of the worker before you hire them. 

Schedule a pre-employment medical before you offer the job

If you have a physical requirement for the job you need to schedule the appointments before you have the job. However, you will not get a full copy of the medical in most cases as this can contain confidential medical information and you cannot discriminate on the basis of medical issues which may be flagged in the medical. Be sure to be clear with the medical centre which issues are a 'red flag' which can prohibit you from hiring someone for a role. 

Follow up on any restrictions

If the pre-employment medical mentions any aids that someone may need to do their job (such as wearing glasses when they drive a vehicle), it is important for you as an employer to check that this is actually being done including doing audits on the employee once they are on site. If they are not using the equipment that they need to do a job you can still be liable for any injuries that come as a result of the job not being performed safely. 

As an employer, pre-employment medicals can be a vital part of ensuring that you have the right person for your vacant job roles. Be sure to correctly structure the pre-employment medical so that it target the exact requirements of the role. Contact an occupational health services firm if you would like specific advice.