Physical exams provide employers with a "snapshot" of the candidate's health status and documentation of pre-existing conditions. The exams are customized to meet the needs of your employees and your work site. This physical process includes a detailed medical history, thorough physical examination and diagnostic tests relative to job performance and required safety standards are completed. The Business Health Center recognizes that the timely scheduling and results of physical examinations are crucial to maintaining your company’s work force.

The Department of Transportation's rule 49 CFR 390.5, requires employers with CDL cardholders under their employ to comply with physical examinations and drug and alcohol testing (49 CFR 382). These regulations are comprehensive and include strict detail for compliance. Business Health will partner to assist you in complying with this regulation.

Many workplace situations involve toxic substances for which engineering controls may be inadequate to control exposures. Respirators are used in these situations as a back-up method of protection. There are two major classes of respirators: 1. air-purifying to remove contaminants from the air, and 2. atmosphere-supplying to provide clean, breathable air from an uncontaminated source.

The Business Health Center has trained staff to provide the Medical Evaluations and Respirator Fit Testing in compliance with OSHA Regulation 29 CFR 1910.134. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) respirator standard requires that employers establish and maintain an effective respiratory program and that employees are responsible for wearing the respirator and complying with the program. This article reviews the major requirements of OSHA's standard on respiratory protection, as revised in 1998.

The Business Health Center has developed easy to follow recommendations based on the requirements outlined by OSHA.

Suggested Guidelines for Medical Clearance of Respirator Users

In January 1998, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the final version of the revised Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910 and 1926. The revision was intended to simplify the requirements for employers administering their respirator programs. As part of this law, medical screening was streamlined. At Business Health, we have reviewed the standard to compile this summary of the law requirements and our recommendations concerning the Mandatory Questionnaire, Physicals, Pulmonary Function Testing, Fit Testing, Chest x-rays and other screening.

St. Elizabeth Business Health recognizes firefighters have a physically demanding high-risk job. Our physicians have developed recommendations to follow when developing a post offer/baseline and/or annual physical exam program based on the NFPA Standard 1582.

This standard provides guidelines to ensure that firefighters are physically capable of performing firefighting tasks. It covers the medical evaluation process as well as a list of conditions that would or could prevent a fire department member or candidate from performing as a firefighter by presenting a significant risk to the health or safety of others. (Note that OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.156 also addresses physical fitness issues.)

A job placement assessment evaluates the potential associate's ability to meet the essential physical demands of the job. We carefully measure, observe and document the essential functions. From this information we develop a series of tasks that assess the potential associate’s ability to meet the essential functions. From our analysis of job demands and employer validation, a job placement assessment is developed. The assessment is used to accurately determine if the candidate is appropriate for the job, thereby providing an employer with a workforce that “fit” the job demands.

Statistics show the use of JPA's can help reduce work place injury and employee turnover by identifying associates who meet the essential physical job demands for your worksite. Since 1997, Business Health statistics consistently show companies utilizing JPA's experienced an injury rate of 3% or less. This can be compared to an alarming national injury rate of 14% for the non-assessed warehouse employee.

The Business Health Center incorporates a variety of tools to perform JPA's. We will work with you to develop the JPA assessment for your specific work environment.

St. Elizabeth Business Health is conveniently located near the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. We have physicians certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aviation Medical Examiner. They are certified to perform Class 1, 2 and 3 exams.

To schedule your exam call our appointment line at (859) 301-2999. Please note the paperwork involved with these physicals can take between 15-30 minutes to complete, so please allocate for that prior to your scheduled appointment time.