Medical fitness to work assessments may be required (by law or policy) of workers in positions that are safety sensitive, remote or offshore, are physically demanding, or are otherwise high risk.
All Canadian employers have a duty of care and a duty to accommodate persons with medical disabilities. If an employer implements a program to assess medical fitness to work, they must demonstrate that it is reasonably necessary and is rationally connected to the job performance.
A medical fitness assessment may be required as a condition of the job offer (pre-placement)
or periodically during employment. The purpose of these assessments is to determine whether the worker has a medical condition that will pose a limitation or restriction for the work:
Work Limitation = can undertake the task, but not to the usual expectations
(e.g. speed, strength, schedule)
Work Restriction = cannot or should not undertake a specific task or aspect of the work
(i.e. serious and imminent risk).
It is then is the employer’s responsibility to determine how they can accommodate the worker’s disability.
All Canadian employers have a duty of care and a duty to accommodate persons with medical disabilities. If an employer implements a program to assess medical fitness to work, they must demonstrate that it is reasonably necessary and is rationally connected to the job performance.
A medical fitness assessment may be required as a condition of the job offer (pre-placement)
or periodically during employment. The purpose of these assessments is to determine whether the worker has a medical condition that will pose a limitation or restriction for the work:
Work Limitation = can undertake the task, but not to the usual expectations
(e.g. speed, strength, schedule)
Work Restriction = cannot or should not undertake a specific task or aspect of the work
(i.e. serious and imminent risk).
It is then is the employer’s responsibility to determine how they can accommodate the worker’s disability.
