OSHA has medical screening and surveillance requirements for 24 standards, including asbestos, bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, HAZWOPER, lead, noise and respiratory protection. Twenty of these standards call for pre-placement examinations. Pre-placement exams depend on specific factors cited in the standard, such as airborne concentrations of the regulated substance and/or years of exposure, amount of time exposed per year, and the age of the employee.

Pre-employment or pre-placement medical exams are intended to place and maintain employees in jobs and work environments suited to their physiological and psychological capacities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Though OSHA has no requirements for psychological evaluations. The goal of these exams is to determine if an individual is fit to perform his or her job without risk to himself or others.