A Dive Into Careers That Require You to Take a Physical

Are you looking for a new job? If so, you may be asked by your future employer to pass a physical examination first. While it may be offered during or after the initial interview, it is required to ensure that you are physically fit enough to handle any of the labor that certain jobs entail.

These are just some of the jobs that may require a physical exam before hiring:

• Firefighter
• Police officer
• Dance teacher
• Lifeguard
• Military personnel
• Construction worker
• Tour guide
• Healthcare worker
• Home care worker
• Daycare provider
• Truck driver
• Bus driver
• Landscaper

Because physical labor is integral to these jobs, a certain level of fitness is required for your own safety and the safety of others. Applicants with disabilities will be held to the same requirements, but are entitled to reasonable accommodations in order to perform the necessary tasks.

Physical exams test your ability to perform the basic tasks required for a certain job. Sometimes drug tests are included to avoid accidents in the workplace (which prevents the company from facing any legal liabilities) as well as to ensure productivity during working hours. Drug tests can take many forms, but the most common type is a urine drug screening.

A job physical will generally include:

• Recording height and weight
• Blood pressure
• Pulse
• Vision and hearing tests
• Your Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Documentation of allergies
• Questions about nutritional and exercise habits

All of these inquiries are directly related to the job tasks at hand and are not considered illegally invasive.

Ensuring you are physically able to perform the required job duties is one thing, but an employer can only test or ask questions related to those specific duties. They are not legally permitted to ask you about the following:

• Whether or not you have a disability that could interfere with your ability to perform the job
• How many days you were sick in the last year
• How many times you stayed home from work due to illness
• Whether or not you’ve ever filed for worker’s compensation
• If you’ve ever been injured on a job before
• If you have ever been treated for mental health issues
• What prescription drugs you may be taking

If an employer were to ask you any of the above questions, you have the right to cite the ADA laws for your own protection.

For labor-intensive positions, you may be asked to undergo other types of physicals periodically.

A once-a-year physical exam is recommended for the average person anyway, no matter what they do for work, but some companies require them for occupational safety and well-being. Hospital workers, in particular, must be cleared of any conditions that could potentially harm their patients. In some cases, this requires little more than a TB (tuberculosis) test, vaccinations, or a flu shot during certain seasons. Depending on the standards of your workplace, more comprehensive exams could be needed.

Some companies offer their employees regular physicals at no cost. This can help some employees seek treatment before the flu renders them unable to perform adequately, and prevent them from having to take a few days off.

Your potential employer can legally ensure that you are healthy and in shape, but there are laws in place that limit how much they can know about your medical history. These laws are covered in the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA. The ADA makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against a potential employee based on disabilities, be they physical or mental.

Title I of the ADA makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people who are otherwise qualified for a job position but happen to have a disability. Private employers with more than 15 workers, labor unions, employment agencies, and local government offices are all subject to ADA laws.

The ADA defines “disability” as:

• Physical or mental impairments that limit certain activities
• A history of conditions that cause physical or mental impairment

Applicants with physical or mental disabilities are subjected to the same standards as non-disabled applicants, they must be able to meet the basic requirements for the job. This can include:

• Education
• Training
• Job history
• Required skills
• Licenses

Applicants with disabilities, however, are entitled to reasonable accommodations.

Employers are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. This allows all employees to be treated fairly while held to the same standards of overall job performance. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides the following examples of reasonable accommodations:

• Modifying devices
• Restructuring jobs
• Modified schedules
• Potential reassignment
• Making adjustments to training materials and/or policies
• Utilizing interpreters
• Creating an accessible workplace for wheelchairs, walkers, etc.

Legally, all parts of a workspace must be considered accessible – not just the parts in which an employee with a disability will be working most of the time. Common spaces such as bathrooms and cafeterias are included.

Employers are legally allowed to require a physical examination as part of the hiring process. This physical may include checking vitals such as height and weight, body mass index, pulse, and general questions about your exercise and nutrition habits.

However, employers cannot ask questions regarding your history of worker’s compensation, how often you were sick within the last year, or whether you took any days off from work due to illness.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodations in order to perform the basic job functions, your employer is legally obligated to provide them to you.

Only you can determine whether a physically active job or a desk-bound job is right for you. But just because you don’t meet the physical standards of one job position doesn’t mean you are unfit for other active work positions. The working world is a big place – just keep looking! Start your search on Joblist today.