Employers often use pre-employment screening services to complete their hiring process. Some employers order personal background checks on prospective new hires. Some companies require candidates to undergo various medical or physical examinations. The law says you cannot require these screenings unless you’ve made a bona fide job offer. But the law does not specify who can or should perform the tests or where screenings should take place.

Joseph Pachman was asked to prepare a report on pre-employment testing for the World Health Organization. In it, he notes, “Ideally, the pre-employment medical examination (also referred to as a pre-placement examination) strives to place and maintain employees in an occupational environment adapted to their physiological and psychological capacities.”

Toward that end, medical exams may cover a range of things:

• Drug and/or alcohol testing
• Basic check-up
• More in-depth medical evaluation
• Chest x-rays
• High blood pressure and/or cholesterol assessments
• Physical capacity testing

It Is Easy to Find These Screening Services

Most doctors and clinics offer pre-employment physicals. Many physical therapy clinics offer functional capacity testing. For example, one provider says “any traditional therapy clinic with the proper equipment” can do the job. All they need is:

• Some standard measuring equipment
• An exam table
• Enough space for simulated job skills testing

Unfortunately, This Is Not an Effective Approach

The point is to determine if someone can perform a job without risk to himself or others. But Pachman says there is little evidence medical findings benefit employers or employees. They do not indicate likelihood of remaining healthy on the job. Nor do they indicate greater risk of injury.

He quotes results of a 2006 compilation of research studies. “The consensus was that fitness for work is mainly determined by physical demands and not by medical conditions. In addition, the assessment of fitness for work is a better predictor of future health outcomes and costs than medical diagnoses.”

He believes pre-employment medical exams have simply become a habit with employers and the medical community. Further, medical exams often gather information not relevant to the candidate’s prospective job. This can result in:

• Delays in the employment process
• Illegitimate rejection of a candidate
• Wasted resources and money

Choosing the right provider to administer pre-employment testing, in the right location, eliminates these problems. Pachman suggests that “any health assessment should be appropriate to the requirement.” Medical examinations justified only when:

• The job involves working in hazardous environments
• The job requires high standards of fitness
• They are required by law
• When the safety of other workers or of the public is at stake

Post Offer Pre-Employment Testing is Most Relevant

Employers are turning to post-offer pre-employment screening services because the results are more useful. On-site testing puts candidates in real-life situations. It emphasizes job replication as closely as possible to the essential functions of that particular job, not just simulations of that particular job. Post-offer pre-employment testing also includes baseline testing. Traditional physical capacity assessments often test only physical and positional capabilities.

The real question isn’t where to find post-offer pre-employment testing services. You should ask yourself what type of pre-employment screening makes the most sense for your company and job positions.

There is a significant difference between a medical health exam and physical capabilities testing. You want to know if your candidate is (or is not) a good physical choice for the position. Can they safely perform the essential functions and tasks of the job? Your goal is to avoid hiring mistakes. When you do, you can:

• Lower risk of injury
• Reduce turnover
• Maintain vital productivity
• Improve job dissatisfaction
• Cut frustration and wasted time

Relevant screening provides relevant results. That will protect everyone and strengthen your hiring process.