Private workplace health screening is undertaken to assess someone’s fitness for work, to identify risks in the workplace environment, as well as assess workplace well being in compliance with health and safety regulations.
Private workplace health screening is undertaken to assess someone’s fitness for work, to identify risks in the workplace environment, as well as assess workplace well being in compliance with health and safety regulations.
The term ‘health screening’ covers a number of assessments necessary to understand the health of employees, including pre-employment health assessments, fitness for work assessments, and on-going screenings for staff members who work in jobs that have exposure risks.
Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful for employers to ask job applicants questions about their health and disabilities before an offer is made (unless there are specific circumstances that require it). While it is lawful for employers to ask candidates who have been invited in for an interview if there are reasonable adjustments that need to be made, it is necessary for employers to ensure that any information about health or disability at this stage plays no part in the decision-making process in terms of a job offer, and that all candidates are treated fairly.
Workplace health screening must be proportionate to the job’s requirements. Even for safety critical roles, screening must be proportionate to the job requirements. This means the assessment can only focus on the relevant information and not that person’s broader medical history.
Under UK law, most workplace health screening is voluntary. However, there are some circumstances where health screening is a legal requirement because of the occupational risks:
when a person’s good health is critical to their role, for example pilots, train drivers and HGV drivers, offshore oil and gas employees
when employees will be handling infectious materials, or their role may expose them to hazardous substances underCOSHH regulations
Workplace health screening is a confidential assessment of a new employee’s fitness for specific roles, whether it's pre-employment checks or to assess return to work after illness. It is designed to assess adjustments the employer will need to make to allow them to do their job safely. The reason is to make sure that every employee is fit to do their job without undue risk to their health or safety.
How thorough the workplace health screening is will depend on the risks associated with the role, as well as the impact that could have on the health and wellbeing of each and every employee.
As a result of the workplace health screening, employers will understand what adjustments they’ll need to make to enable each staff member to carry out their duties associated with the role.
Employee health information is protected underUK General Data Protection Regulations, which states that information must be “used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary”.
Therefore employers must explain why they need a workplace health screening, why health information is being collected, how it will be used and how long the information will be retained.
Workplace health screening is routinely needed when there are health and safety risks associated with a job role, when a candidate discloses health or disability issues after being offered a job, or when an employee returns to work after a long sickness absence.
However, there are times when an HR team may decide additional screening is required because of exceptional circumstances, for example, safety incidents, a rise in sickness absence, mental health issues, or new concerns about health risks.
Unfortunately for HR professionals, implementing workplace health screening can raise employee concerns about privacy and trust. Therefore, screening programmes must be proportionate to the risks in order to retain employee trust.
Workplace health screening must be carried out by qualified medical professionals who are trained in occupational health assessments
In addition to private healthcare, the SameDayDoctor group offers private workplace health screening foroccupational health issues including pre-employment assessments, return to work fitness assessments, and employee health checks. We also offer travel vaccination services for businesses, site visits for ‘flu vaccinations for your staff, as well as drug and alcohol testing.
SameDayDoctor has been providing private occupational health assessments for nearly 25 years withclinics in London and Manchester.Contact us now to find out more about our private workplace health screening services.
