It's survival of the fittest as many jobs now require new employees to pass medicals As health checks become more common in companies, Ciarán Brennan looks at why employers consider them so important
Richard "Asa" Hartford was a Scottish international midfielder and a journeyman footballer who became famous not for his exploits on the pitch, but for failing a medical because of the discovery of a heart condition which ended his high-profile transfer to Leeds United in November 1971.
Due to the nature of the job, medicals are part and parcel of a player's signing-on process for a new club. But medicals and health checks are becoming increasingly common in the workplace, particularly for multinationals, even if involves nothing more than sitting at a desk.
But do any of them suffer the same fate as Richard Hartford and fail because of a congenital heart condition?
"If an employer was going to refuse somebody employment on the basis of a pre-employment medical test, it would want to be for very sound reasons that there was going to be a very definite link between exacerbating the condition and the job that somebody was going to do," says Sylvester Cronin, health and safety adviser for Siptu.
Rather than discriminating against people, there are important medical and health and safety reasons behind health checks, according to Tony Briscoe, Ibec's assistant director and head of health and safety.
"There are strict duties under legislation for an employer," he says.
"Significant responsibilities are built into the legislation to ensure somebody can work safely and without risk to their health, safety and welfare; that they are not creating an unreasonable and unnecessary or inappropriate risk to other employees; and that the employer is exercising reasonable and due care to assess the person's suitability."
He says this is "not just in terms of competence, but also their physical and mental suitability to actually undertake the job that he or she is being considered for".
Another reason is to create a "baseline", says Dr Martin Hogan of occupational health and hygiene consultants, Employment Health Advisors.
"This allows further testing, such as hearing tests to compare to a previous example, but also of course it will protect the company in the event of litigation in cases where someone had a problem pre-dating employment," says Hogan.
"Pre-employment medicals will also help the company comply with the duties of the employer under equality legislation. It also allows the employer to identify any special accommodations/supports that need to be put in place for successful employment."
A quick perusal of chat rooms dealing with the issue of medicals shows a concern by some that health checks carried out by employers represent a Big Brother type intrusion into people's personal lives.
However, Hogan says that ethical codes dictate that information gleaned from a medical be treated in the strictest confidence.
"Medical information should remain under the control of medical professionals only. The company has no right of access to the record under normal circumstances," he says.
"The employer should only be told 'fit' or 'unfit' and any workplace implications. Specific medical details can be released only with the person's permission."
According to Siptu's Cronin, potential employees are not obliged to take a medical but it is unlikely that they will get the job if they refuse one that is a prerequisite for a job.
"If an employer wants you to go for a medical and you say no, then I think it is goodbye to the job," he says.
But what are employers looking for in a medical?
"Typically, the medical comprises a general health questionnaire, a straightforward physical examination, eyesight tests, hearing tests, a blowing lung test," says Hogan.
"Urine is often tested for diabetes and kidney disease and, for certain jobs, a blood test is performed. Increasingly some employers request a drug test, usually on urine, but this can be performed only with the candidate's written consent. Employees are also entitled to see their results," according to Hogan.
"Most health professionals will release these immediately but, if necessary, employees are entitled to make a formal request under the Data Protection Act. There may be a small charge if the Data Protection Act is used," he says.
In some cases, medicals have had the added benefit of saving a potential employee's life.
"I can recall quite a number of cases where, as a result of this kind of activity by an employer, that an individual's life has been saved," says Briscoe of Ibec.
"We shouldn't overlook the potential [ that] were it not for the fact that somebody was going for a job and having a medical examination, an illness or an ailment that may have gone unnoticed has been uncovered."