Medical Fitness Certificates Introduction
A medical fitness certificate is a document completed by a qualified occupational health practitioner. This document presents the findings of the medical examination. An employee medical fitness certificate may be requested when working on site or during an accident investigation. It’s important to safeguard both the employee and employer.
A medical fitness certificate may be required to ensure the employee is fit for duty after an illness. It can also be done pre-employment to ensure that the employee is fit for duty before employment. It’s important to do routine medicals to ensure that the employees’ health is not deteriorating. This can serve as proof that the employee is in a healthy, working environment.
A medical fitness certificate must be relevant to the employees job description. For example, a driver must have good eye sight and a construction worker must not have a fear of heights. As an employer, you have to make sure you take reasonable steps to ensure the right person is doing the right job.
Medical Fitness Certificates and the Law
The Occupation Health & Safety act states in the construction regulations CR(8)(2)(b) working at height, CR(15)(12)(a) employees required to work on suspended platforms, CR(20)(g) crane operators and CR(21)(1)(d)(ii) construction vehicle operators are by law required to have and be in possession of a valid medical certificate of fitness.
When we complete our medical examinations, we issue a valid medical fitness certificate. The employee fitness certificate is to ensure that the appointed person is fit for the job. For example, when an employee works on heights, you need to establish the employees’ health. For example, if an employee works on heights, it’s important to establish various factors. An employee working on heights can’t suffer from epileptic fits. If this employee get s fit while working on a height, it can have devastating results. In order to protect the employee and employer, a medical fitness certificate must be obtained and made available.
Who Needs Medical Fitness Certificates?
Many industries will require a medical fitness certificate. It’s immensely important for employees working on heights e.g. construction workers etc. Equally important is for all food handlers to have a valid medical fitness certificate. When working with food on any level, it’s vital that the employee is in good health. This includes factory workers, waiters, cooks etc. The law requires all drivers to have a valid medical fitness certificate. This includes forklifts, crane operators and general drivers. If, for example, your driver has diabetes, it can affect his/her vision. This means that if your employee is driving and gets a diabetes attack, he/she can cause major accidents. The company will have to provide proof that the employee was fit for duty. Without a medical fitness certificate, it will be very hard to prove that the employee was medically fit to drive the assigned vehicle.