The ADA generally prohibits medical examinations of employees, except when the test is necessary to evaluate the individual’s ability to perform essential job functions. Employers can request a simple agility test to inquire as to the employee’s ability to safely perform tasks such as lifting, without the test being considered a medical exam. When a test is conducted by a healthcare professional or monitors physiological changes, it is likely a medical exam and must meet the ADA’s job related / consistent with business necessity requirement.
