Pre-Employment Screening and Medical Assessments

Often referred to as Pre-Employment Functional Assessments (PEFAs), our pre-employment screening and medical assessments:

• Ensure candidates are well matched with the demands of a position
• Form the basis of a robust front-line risk management strategy
• Control the frequency and cost of injuries in the workplace
• Increase staff retention
• Support workplace productivity

Our allied health professionals, located throughout Australia, have extensive experience conducting pre-employment screening and functional assessments for a broad range of occupations and industries.

Altius Group's functional assessments and employment medicals are always based on latest evidence and best practice - using robust, objective assessment tools which are regularly reviewed. We incorporate a detailed medical questionnaire, thorough musculoskeletal screening and physical testing in conjunction with functional assessment components, all tailored to the inherent requirements of the role.

Pre-Employment Screening Assessments:

• Provide valuable insight into an individual’s physical capacity to safely meet the functional demands of a job before they start work.
• Clarify an individual’s medical history and determine the impact of past or current conditions on their capacity to carry out a job before they start work.
• Provide candidates with an understanding of what a role entails
• Educate candidates on safe work practices before they start work.
• Improve an organisation’s safety culture and reputation by establishing clear expectations around health, safety and work capacity.
• Identify previously undetected health issues which may, with suggested management strategies, improve long term health outcomes for individuals and organisations.
• Address specific physical or health concerns relative to an organisation’s work environment.

Pre-Employment Screening Services

Depending on the requirements of a role, and the work environment, additional services may be incorporated into a pre-employment assessment:

Audiometry Test

Our audiometric tests and hearing tests are carried out by specialists with training in this area, in line with Australian/New Zealand Standards. Audiometric testing should be made available to all persons likely to be exposed to workplace noise above exposure criteria in line with state-specific WHS guidelines. It is generally advised audiometric testing be carried out within three months of commencing work, however, prior to noise exposure as part of the pre-employment screening assessment is ideal for a baseline measure. 

Drug and Alcohol Screening

Our certified consultants administer efficient and accurate drug and alcohol screening tests to minimise workplace risks posed by recreational drug use. We perform saliva drug device testing, simply and discretely, ensuring confidentiality, with results available within minutes. We can also arrange for the drug and alcohol screening to be conducted by way of Chain of Custody testing at an accredited pathology centre, these results can then be relied on for medical or legal purposes. We also assist workplaces to develop and review Drug and Alcohol Policy. 

Spirometry Testing

Spirometry assessment measures the degree of airflow obstruction. This respiratory assessment is often used to assess for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a number of other lung diseases that may impact work function. 

Job Specific Functional Assessments

Functional assessments may be required to assess a candidate’s ability to perform the inherent physical requirements of a specific role, and to determine if any modifications are recommended. A job specific functional assessment is matched to each individual job role.

Pre-Employment Medical Assessment

We can arrange a pre-employment medical assessment at a candidate’s local medical centre to screen for conditions that may have a detrimental effect on the candidate’s health. The medical assessment screens for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, hernias or eyesight deficits. Such conditions may not be a reason to refuse employment but may result in intervention that better allows the candidate to perform the proposed job. 

Mental Health Assessment

As part of the mental health assessments, the K 10 is a widely used, simple self-report measure of psychological distress which can be used to identify those in need of further assessment for anxiety and depression. This measure was designed for use in the general population. 

Resilience and Cope Scale Assessments

These assessments are designed to measure effective and ineffective ways to cope with a stressful life event. The assessments determine someone's primary coping styles as either Approach Coping, or Avoidant Coping, as well as their ability to bounce back or recover from stress. 

Reporting, Recommendations and Support

Should you require a number of these additional assessments to be undertaken by your candidate, we can make the necessary arrangements and formulate one report with all results forwarded to you.

We are able to conduct pre employment screening and medical assessments on-site across Australia. We provide assessment outcomes based on current capacity, offering recommendations for reasonable adjustment where appropriate. For complex presentations, we facilitate referrals to GPs or occupational physicians for further investigation.