Ensuring that Employees are physically capable of completing their daily work duties is essential for the prevention of injury on the job. In the application process, one needs to be sure that the person is qualified for the position.  Their physical capabilities need to match the job duties.

Physical Capabilities: What is Needed for the Job?

The physical requirements vary depending on work conditions and job duties. For example, physical capabilities for an office job where someone sits at a computer for most of the day will, of course, be quite different from what is required on a construction site or in a manufacturing warehouse.

How much weight will the person be lifting? What types of activities will they need to perform each day? How often?  These questions can be essential in identifying whether the person will be able to complete the duties without putting themselves and others at risk of injury.  Bringing someone in as an Employee who doesn’t have sufficient physical strength or ability not only puts that new Employee at risk, but puts their co-workers at risk as well.  And the Employer is likely to be held liable for any associated complications and injuries.

One important note: While it is critically important to test out each person’s physical capabilities before actually hiring them, it is also essential that this testing be carried out utilizing a methodology that is clear of discrimination factors. All physical capability Prior-to-Hire or Post-Offer Pre-Hire testing must be the same for everyone – regardless of age, gender, race, height, weight or history of past injury.  And everyone being hired for that job must go through the testing, not just those that ‘appear questionable’ in their abilities.

Pre-Hire Assessments:  Information prevents Injuries!!

Most Human Resource staff are not trained to test whether or not an applicant is physically capable for the job duties. The best solution is to work with a trained Assessment Specialist using standardized Pre-Hire Assessment Protocol to evaluate the candidate’s physical job related abilities. This proactive approach not only improves safety for all, but saves the Employer AND the Employee time and money.

At KEY Functional Assessments Network, our goal is to minimize the risk of injury through our Employee capability assessments. If you are interested in improving safety for Employees and significantly decreasing Worker’s Compensation costs, we invite you to contact us to learn more about the available services.