If your employees are designated as “safety-sensitive” for the Department of Transportation (DOT) – meaning their job can impact both their own safety and the safety of the public – they are required to have a regular physical to be compliant and keep working. A DOT physical follows strict guidelines mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), ensuring that commercial drivers and other safety-sensitive employees are in good health to work safely.
Here are some steps to dot physical exams.
Drivers are required to have at least 20/40 acuity in each eye with or without correction.
They are also required to have at least 70” peripheral in the horizontal meridian, measured in each eye.
The medical examiner will check the driver’s blood pressure and pulse to look for high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.
A urinalysis is required. The test looks for indications of underlying medical conditions such as diabetes.
Drivers must be able to perceive what is known as a “forced whisper” at a distance of 5ft or less, with or without a hearing aid. This standard equates to an average hearing loss in the better ear of less than 40 dB.
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