Employment medicals are very important to the health and welfare of the employees and the employer in any organization. These assessments are often conducted before an individual is hired into an organization in order to determine whether the person is capable of performing the anticipated task physically as well as mentally. Not only do these medicals protect the individual against any risk that may exist but it also assists companies to build a safer workforce as well as a productive one.
What Are Pre-Employment Medicals?
Pre-employment medicals are health checks which are carried out to ensure that a certain job health needs. They may include general health and wellness, hearing and vision, musculoskeletal and even psychological if the nature of the job demands a psychologically strong person. For instance, a job that requires a lot of physical work like lifting may have tests which will assess the candidate’s back strength and stamina as part of the job requirement while the position in customer relation might be subjected to stress tests.
Why Are They So Important?
1. Protecting Employee Health and Safety
The primary purpose of pre-employment medicals is to maintain the health of the employees. Some jobs may demand certain physical or mental activities and hence it is necessary to make sure that people get ready for some of the strenuous activities in their jobs. For instance, a worker with a condition such as back pain, is likely to suffer a severe health ordeal in a physically straining position with poor back support. This risk may be identified in a pre employment medical check, alterations can be made or recommendations given to prevent injury.
2. Creating a Safer Workplace
Pre-employment medicals also help to create a safer working environment because it is easy to detect employees who have certain health risks that may lead to accidents on the job.
For instance, if a person only has partial hearing capability, working in a noisy environment that is not well protected would make this worse. This knowledge lets employers plan ahead and take the necessary steps, for instance, supply personal protection equipment or change tasks, to help prevent harm and disease for all workers.
3. Reducing Workplace Injuries and Associated Costs
Through a comparison of pre-employment medicals, conditions and limitations that have been overlooked are brought to light. Hence, minimizing the occurrence of work related injuries. Accidents at the workplace result in either the employee being off from work or reduced efficiency besides insurance or compensation. Employers that embrace occupational health risks proactively, can cut down expenses associated with these risks, making pre-employment medicals a sound business proposition.
4. Ensuring Compliance with Regulations
Some of the important health and safety standards in many industries demand employers to have strict fitness for duty certificates to workers. For example, construction, mining and transport industries have standard precaution measures that one has to undergo a medical check-up before employment due to risks associated with the sectors.
The latter is more than just obligatory since it allows avoiding different legal problems and maintaining the organization’s compliance with the requirements of occupational health agencies.
5. Building a Health-Conscious Culture
Pre-employment medicals give the message to the employees that they matter as much as the company does. When new hires join the organization, they must be assured that their welfare is important, and observing this aspect of health and safety makes them develop trust in the organization. This in return fosters organizational health. The health of civil workers is also protected, which boosts health standards.
Conclusion
Employment medicals are important in promoting occupational health besides minimizing risks that may be of concern to both the employees and the organizations. Employers and business owners can only ensure that productivity and workplace safety are achieved once the health needs of the workers are met. By using health check assessments, companies can employ health commitments strategies that can demonstrate that the companies are concerned with the health of the employees and this would yield good results in the future. Logic health can help you understand the pre-employment medical assessment better!