The 3 Things Every Pre-Employment Medical Assessment Needs - Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton and Perth

Pre-Employment Medicals in Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton and Perth are a common requirement for many high risk industry job roles such as mining, oil, gas, construction and logistics.  Pre-employment medical testing is used to ensure a potential employee, or applicant, is safe and fit to perform the job role.

Pre-employment medical assessments should differ according to the unique requirements of each job role and its location.  For example, an assessment for an above ground mining role will differ from an assessment for an underground mining role.

Likewise, a pre-employment medical for a logistics role will differ from pre-employment medicals in mining.

Generally, there are 3 major areas that are assessed to determine if potential employees are safe and fit to perform their job role:

1.    Medical History

Applicants are required to complete a series of questions relating to past and present medical history such as:

• Current medication;
• Previous surgery;
• Chronic Diseases;
• Injury history;
• Working history including exposure to dust, radiation or chemicals;
• Allergies;
• Smoking history;
• Consumption of alcohol;
• Exercise history.

It is important that applicants are completely honest when completing the medical history.  Information provided in a Medical History Questionnaire can significantly impact on an employment opportunity if questions were answered dishonestly or if the information provided is inconsistent with the results of the Medical Testing.

2.    Medical Testing

The medical examination is designed to assess current health status.  Medical testing may include a combination of any of the following tests:

• Blood Pressure: a measurement of the maximum and minimum pressure within the arteries with every heartbeat;
• Body Mass Index: a measurement to determine if an applicant is overweight or within a healthy weight range, when compared to their height;
• Audiometry: also known as a Hearing Test, is a measure of hearing threshold;
• Spirometry: also known as a Lung Function Test, is a measurement of how well an applicant’s lungs perform;
• Vision testing: a measurement of far and near vision;
• Urinalysis: a measure of the glucose, protein and blood within the urine;
• Urine Drug testing: a test which detects the absence or presence of illicit and prescription drugs in the body;
• Breath Alcohol testing: a measurement of the concentration of alcohol in the blood;
• Physical Examination: an examination of heart sounds, breath sounds, auditory canal and ear drum, skin checks for scars, topical conditions and potential skin cancers.

3.    Functional Testing

Some pre-employment medicals require you to perform Functional Capacity Testing which includes a series of tests and tasks to measure an applicant’s capacity to safely perform the physical aspects of the job role.  These include:

• Functional Range of Motion: a measurement of how well an applicant can move each major joint, considering the requirements of the job role;
• Grip Strength: a measurement of how strong an applicant’s grip is;
• Positional Tolerances: a measurement of the body’s ability to maintain certain postures such as kneeling or squatting for certain periods of time;
• Lifting and Carrying: a measurement of the mass an applicant can safely lift and carry at varying heights and distances;
• Cardiovascular Fitness: a measurement of an applicant’s general cardiovascular fitness level.