For the manufacturing industry, managing employee injury and illness presents unique challenges. Manufacturing work often involves physically taxing or potentially dangerous activities. Use of heavy tools or machinery, repetitive motion, and exposure to hazards such as chemicals, extreme heat, and work at heights can lead to costly employee injury or illness, as well as exacerbate existing health conditions. Unsurprisingly, the industry maintains a strong focus on safety and risk management.

Manufacturing employers commonly adopt programmatic approaches to manage such risks in their workforce. Manufacturers often consider adopting best practices to ensure safety-driven programs and policies align with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These programs or policies include annual medical examinations or post-injury requests for comprehensive medical information that, by their very nature, make medical inquiries of employees. The ADA limits when and how employers may make medical inquiries and conduct medical examinations of current employees.

By establishing best practices, employers achieve the dual objectives of avoiding work-related injuries and making medical inquiries when permitted by the ADA.

When Are Medical Examinations and Inquiries of Current Employees Permissible?

The ADA permits medical examinations and disability-related inquiries of existing employees when they are “job-related and consistent with business necessity.” Medical exams and inquiries...

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