Has your employer or potential employer requested a pre-employment assessment?
Pre-employment assessments may be required before you start a new job, when returning to work following an injury, or occasionally throughout your career. These assessments help ensure employees are not put in situations or are expected to complete tasks which may put them at risk for injury. This helps protect both the employee and the employer.
What is a pre-employment assessment?
Pre-employment functional assessments, or Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) provide information on an individual’s physical strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness. This information can help determine if individuals are physically capable of performing the tasks required of the job role. It can also help deduce if the individual is high or low risk for injury on the jobsite. Often, a doctor will complete a pre-employment medical assessment in conjunction with the FCE.
Why do I need a pre-employment assessment?
Research shows that employees who have completed a pre-employment assessment are more likely to have a lower incidence of injury, absence rate due to injury, and medical costs from injury 1, 2. Rosenblum & Shanker3 found:
- The frequency and severity of musculoskeletal injuries was significatnly less in employees who completed a pre-employment assessment
- Employees who did not complete a pre-employment assessment were 2.38 times more likely to have an injury to the knees, shoulders, or back than employees who completes a pre-employment assessment
- Employees who did not complete a pre-employment assessment cost 4.33 times more due to injury claims
What will a pre-employment assessment involve?
This will depend on the job role and company, but they may include:
- Overall posture and postural fatigue
- Joint range of movement
- Muscle flexibility
- Stability of joints
- Balance
- Strength, endurance, and form with bending, lifting, reaching, squatting, stairs, ladders
- Manual handling such as pushing and pulling
- Cardiovascular fitness test such as a 3-min step up test
References
- Gassoway, J. & Flory, V. 2000. Prework screen: Is it helpful in reducing injuries and costs? Work: 15(2), 101-106.
- Nassau, D.W. 1999. The Effects of Prework Functional Screening on Lowering an Employer’s Injury Rate, Medical Costs, and Lost Work Days. Spine: 24 (3), 269-274.
- Rosenblum, K.E & Shanker, A. 2006. A study of the effects of isokinetic pre-employment physical capability screening in the reduction of musculoskeletal disorders in a labor intensive work environment. Work: 26(2), 215-28.
Does Pivotal Motion Physiotherapy offer pre-employment assessments?
Yes!
Our skilled physiotherapists at Pivotal Motion Physiotherapy can carry out pre-employment assessments for many different companies and job descriptions. This will take about 1 hour with a physiotherapist.
To discuss your pre-employment assessment needs, contact us on 07 3352 5116