Can my employer force me to participate in a health fair?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can my employer force me to participate in a health fair?
Mandatory attendance is required at a health fair where cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure, etc will be checked. Is this legal?
Asked on September 7, 2011 under Employment Labor Law, Ohio
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Employers have considerable freedom to set the terms and conditions of employment. One thing they can do is require participation in a health fair, like the one you describe. However, there are limitations on what can happen next:
1) Much medical or heath-related information must be kept confidential and can't be improperly disclosed, so they have to make sure that the data is not publically posted in some way.
2) Employers can't discriminate on the basis of disabilty, so if the health fair reveals a disability of some sort or another, the company may generally not take any employment action on that basis (there are some exceptions, if the disability affects safety greatly, or if letting the person with the disabilty to the job would be too great a cost or disruption).
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.