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Occupational Health Services

Pre-Employment / Post-Offer Physical Screening

Comprehensive post-offer physicals verify job-specific fitness before the first day. Functional capacity evaluation helps match new hires to physical job demands.

Pre-employment physical screenings help employers verify that workers are physically qualified for the essential functions of their roles before placement. This supports both worker safety and compliance with ADA requirements for job-related medical screening.

DSC delivers comprehensive pre-employment / post-offer physical screenings that comply with ADA timing and scope requirements: functional capacity evaluation measuring physical capabilities against job demands, medical history review, and job-specific physical capability verification matched to documented essential functions. Our assessments provide clear fitness determinations: "Qualified without restrictions," "Qualified with reasonable accommodations," or "Not qualified to perform essential functions." The typical evaluation takes 45-60 minutes.

Key Features

Functional Capacity Evaluation

Job-specific physical capability testing matched to documented essential functions (typically 45-60 minutes).

ADA-Compliant Screening

Post-offer timing and job-related scope satisfy ADA requirements for pre-placement medical examinations.

Clear Fitness Determinations

Written fitness determination: qualified without restrictions, qualified with accommodations, or not qualified for essential functions.

Medical & Compliance Requirements

Compliance Requirement

ADA Requirements for Pre-Employment Medical Examinations:

  • Medical exams must occur AFTER conditional job offer (not before)
  • All entering employees in same job category must undergo same examination
  • Examinations must be job-related and consistent with business necessity
  • Medical information must be maintained in confidential files separate from personnel records
  • Employers may condition employment on examination results only if worker cannot perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation
  • Post-offer examinations may include drug testing, physical capability testing, and medical history review

How Diversified Helps

  • Post-offer / pre-placement timing satisfying ADA requirements
  • Functional capacity evaluation (typically 45-60 minutes)
  • Job-specific physical capability testing matched to essential functions
  • Vision, hearing, and other sensory function testing as job-appropriate
  • Reasonable accommodation analysis and recommendations
  • Clear fitness determination: qualified, qualified with accommodation, or not qualified
  • Confidential medical record management per ADA requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

Under the ADA, medical examinations must occur AFTER a conditional job offer has been extended but before the employee begins work. Conducting medical exams before making a job offer violates the ADA and creates discrimination liability. DSC structures all screenings as post-offer / pre-placement examinations.

Pre-employment physicals are most valuable for safety-sensitive positions, physically demanding roles (construction, manufacturing, energy, logistics), positions requiring respirator use, and roles where worker physical limitations could create foreseeable harm to self or others. Employers may also require them universally to establish baseline health documentation.

Employers may withdraw conditional job offers only if the examination reveals the applicant cannot perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Withdrawal decisions must be based on objective medical evidence, not subjective concerns. DSC provides clear fitness determinations and accommodation recommendations supporting defensible employment decisions.

DOT physicals assess medical fitness for commercial driving per federal CDL standards. Pre-employment physicals assess fitness for employer-specific job duties (which may include non-driving physical demands like lifting, climbing, or working in confined spaces). Many employers require both: DOT physical for CDL qualification AND pre-employment physical for job-specific capability verification.

Get Started

Verify job-specific fitness with ADA-compliant post-offer physical screening and clear fitness determinations.

Contact our occupational health specialists to ensure your workforce meets all medical certification and fitness-for-duty requirements.

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