Pre-Employment Functional Assessments Reduce Injuries

For many companies like KINNECT, their employees are their greatest asset. Great employees lead great business returns, not to mention have a positive impact on workplace culture.

However, how do employers ensure that their new employees are going to be assets rather than injury prone liabilities?

Injuries or reduced productivity can significantly impact a business both financially and operationally. Pre-employment screening can help you with hiring healthy and physically capable employees and is critical risk management process for any business.

Pre-Employment Functional / Musculoskeletal Assessments

A pre-employment functional assessment, or musculoskeletal assessment is a physical assessments of a candidates current functional capacity compared to the physical demands of the job role.

Functional assessments are critical in determining if a candidate will be able to physically perform the role and if there are any underlying musculoskeletal injuries or restrictions that the potential employer should be aware of before making an offer.

In 2005 – 2006, roughly a third of all workplace injuries were a musculoskeletal sprain or strain. Given the cause of these sorts of injuries is often the result of several factors (postures, frequency of use, movement patterns, force, tissue strength etc.) any underlying musculoskeletal problem is likely to accelerate the onset.

A basic assessment of Range of Motion (as often conducted in Pre-Employment Medicals) is not enough to ascertain someones capacity to perform the inherent demands of the job role.

A good Pre-Employment Functional assessment  needs to be specific and tailored to the demands of the job role. It should include comprehensive assessment of tasks such as:

• Lifting and Carrying Weights expected within the job role
• Demonstrating working postures expected within the job role
• Range of Motion
• Grip Strength
• Cardiovascular Fitness Test

Furthermore, testing should always be conducted by a Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist or Accredited Exercise Physiologist.

The outcome of the assessment should provide employers with a comprehensive risk assessment and recommendations on any relevant restrictions or identified musculoskeletal concerns. This in turn will help employers to make informed decisions about any offer for employments.

What’s the ROI for an Employer

With the Australian unemployment rate on the rise, recruitment has become somewhat easier for many industries. With a higher demand for jobs, being able to choose the best a candidate that is healthy and physically capable of performing the job role is an easier task.

Take the time to evaluate implementing a Pre-Employment screening process or if you are already using one, take the time to evaluate the ROI it is providing you. Are your injury statistics getting better or are they slowly getting worse?

A national occupational health provider like KINNECT, with a network of clinics and staff will be able to manage this process from start to finish. They will take care of the booking, assessment and reporting for each of your candidates.

In addition to helping you reduce your injury statistics it will help ensure your biggest assets are healthy, safe and productive.