Pre-Employment Health Screening Tests: What Should You Expect

Looking for a new career opportunity generally involves a series of steps, one of which may be a pre-employment health screening. The process is a routine procedure for most organisations in the various industries, performed to verify that a probable applicant is medically fit enough to perform the specific job demands efficiently and securely. It serves to protect both the prospective employee’s health and the employer’s business interests. 

Knowledge is empowerment and can demystify the process and alleviate any apprehension. This guide gives you an understanding of the principal components of a routine pre employment health screening, detailing its purpose and usual tests employed, so that you can be comfortable with this process. 

Physical Capability Test

For manual labour work, a physical capability test is routine. This assesses your ability to perform tasks intrinsic to the job, such as lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling weights safely. The examiner observes your technique to ensure that you are using correct body mechanics, reducing the risk of injury. They are also assessing your flexibility, mobility, and endurance. This functional assessment is closely linked with the physical demands of work in order to ensure that you possess adequate physical strength and endurance to carry them out with less effort. It provides a benchmark between the two of you and the employer on safe ways of working. 

Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Screening

Health Screening of blood pressure and general cardiovascular fitness is routine. A single high reading is not automatically exclusionary, but is helpful to assess whether there is any underlying health issue which specific job pressures or physical demands might compound. The assessor would like to see you reading in the healthy range in order to determine if you can manage tasks which might be stressful. Where work is safety-dependent, this is particularly important since undiagnosed cardiovascular disease is risky. It also allows you to learn about your own health information. 

Drug and Alcohol Screening 

In safety-critical operations such as transport, construction, or manufacturing industries, drug and alcohol testing is normally the practice. This is to ensure a drug-free and safe working environment for all. The test may commonly entail a urine or saliva specimen that is screened for several drugs of abuse. The test is conducted under strict chain-of-custody protocols to ensure accuracy and confidentiality. Be sure to advise the doctor that some prescription medications are measurable on these tests, so be sure to inform the medical professional if any such prescriptions are consumed before testing, if there is a chance of misinterpretation of test results. 

Lung Function Testing (Spirometry)

For some professions, where lung function is at a premium, i.e., where there is dust, chemicals, or use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) involved, a lung function test might be necessary. Spirometry is the test, and it involves breathing in deeply and blowing out as quickly and forcefully as possible into an instrument. It is the volume and velocity of air that you can blow out, and it is a test of how efficiently your lungs function and if there are any problems like asthma or COPD. This ensures that you can work safely in some areas without jeopardising your respiratory system.

Discussion and Confidential Result 

You will usually report your results to the occupational health advisor or nurse. They will request you to explain your questionnaire or results. It should be pointed out here that the outcome is not an immediate “pass” or “fail.” The adviser produces an employer report that is confidential and only contains whether you are fit for employment, not fit, or fit with some advice. Such suggestions are adjustments to allow you to undertake the work safely, such as ergonomic equipment or adapted tasks, under the Equality Act and for your welfare.

Conclusion 

Pre-employment health screening is an equal, impartial process for common safety and suitability for work. Understanding its components, ranging from questionnaires and medicals to drug tests and appointments with doctors, you can approach it prepared and confident.

Its outcome is reliant on your capacity to carry out the tasks specific to the job safely, which most of the time culminates in recommendations of accommodation and not dismissal. 

Honesty and cooperation during the process guarantee an optimal and accurate determination. This leaves the door open to a safe and sound induction into your new job. It is an initiative that is beneficial to the individual as well as the organisation.