Famed columnist William Safire once said, “Nobody stands taller than those willing to stand corrected.” I hope he’s right, because I feel pretty small right now.
Last week I stated that Ohio law is silent on the issue of whether an employer can charge an employee for a pre-employment medical exam. As it turns out, I was wrong. A colleague directed me to Ohio Revised Code 4113.21, entitled, “Employee shall not be required to pay cost of medical examination.” It provides:
No employer shall require any prospective employee or applicant for employment to pay the cost of a medical examination required by the employer as a condition of employment.
In other words, Ohio employers are absolutely forbidden from passing on the cost of pre-employment medical examinations to employees.
The penalty provision of this statute is also worth taking a look at:
Any employer who violates this section shall forfeit not more than one hundred dollars for each violation.
Assuming a routine physical costs more than $100, what is an employer’s incentive not to violate this provision by passing the cost onto employees and paying whatever lesser fines may come later?
Presented by Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, with offices in Cleveland and Columbus.
For more information, contact Jon Hyman, a partner in our Labor & Employment group, at (216) 736-7226 or jth@kjk.com.