Pre-employment physical tests can be crucial in making sure that employees can handle the physical demands of their jobs before they’re hired. Tests also establish baseline information for managing the employee’s health, and handling disability claims in the event of injury. The test most often used by clients is the post-offer option, for an employee who’s been offered a position but has not yet been formally hired. The major functional components are carried out in a clinical setting—often a physical therapy clinic.
- Grip strength testing.
- Lifting: NIOSH box lifting tasks, aimed at establishing the candidate’s maximum lifting abilities and ability to handle the essential material-handling functions of the job.
- Job-specific testing: Tests are based on careful observation and analysis of the job for which the candidate has applied, and closely simulate the job’s essential tasks, which may include carrying, pushing, pulling, the taking of a certain posture for a fixed length of time, operating in a confined space, and any other forces and conditions to which the worker will be regularly subjected.
In addition to this, the employee is given a medical history interview, undergoes musculoskeletal and cardiovascular screening, and has their heart rate and blood pressure measured.
