Alabama Background Checks
What Background Checks in Alabama does Health Street offer?
Criminal Background Check Packages
Health Street offers various pre-built packages of employment background checks, or you can mix and match individual checks for an entirely customized solution. Our most popular criminal background check packages begin with a Social Security Number Trace and include checks of national criminal databases and/or courthouse record searches.
Why Health Street For Alabama Background Checks?
Performing background checks in the Heart of Dixie involves knowing and following state rules and regulations which may stipulate what information can be taken into account when making hiring decisions. Requirements vary by state.
Performing background checks on your own is risky and can lead you into legal trouble. Hiring a background check company, known as a Credit Reporting Agency or CRA, is highly advisable. A credit reporting agency’s job is to stay abreast of Alabama background check laws. Reputable CRA’s help you avoid pitfalls such as:
The risk of uncovering too much information in a background check is significant. Laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) mandate that certain protected information cannot be considered by employers when making hiring decisions. When hiring in Alabama, it is crucial to use a CRA that understands the complexity of background check laws in Alabama.
Background Check Laws Specific to the State of Alabama
As one of the nation’s top states for manufacturing and other technical professions, employers in Alabama have a duty to protect their company stakeholders with thorough background checks. In this state, employers are limited by regulations laid out in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as several state statutes that have been passed in the last several years.
As per the federal FCRA, employers must get the applicant’s written consent before conducting any background check, and must give the applicant a copy of the resulting report. If there is anything within the report that they judge to be disqualifying, the employer must notify the applicant before removing them from consideration.
Unlike many other states, Alabama has no state-wide ban-the-box legislation in place, which would prevent employers from asking questions about or investigating an applicant’s criminal record until after an initial interview has been conducted.
One existing law that is unique to Alabama is AL Code § 15-27-16 (2015), which ensures that applicants who have expunged criminal records do not have to disclose this information to an employer. Any individual “who knows an expungement order was granted pursuant to this chapter and who intentionally and maliciously divulges, makes known, reveals, gives access to, makes public, uses, or otherwise discloses the contents of an expunged file without a court order, or pursuant to a provision of this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.”
Relevant Statistics on Crime in Alabama
Employers in Alabama should be careful to conduct background checks in a way that minimizes liability and protects their staff, while ensuring compliance with state law and industry regulations.
With violent crime arrests in Alabama trending upwards since 2011, background checks have never been more crucial.
DOT Background Screening Services
If your business hires truck drivers, DOT regulations require that you reach out to prior employers as well as check the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for violations. You also need to run a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) to ensure that your drivers have a clean, safe driving record.
Health Street takes this work off of your hands and stores your Alabama background checks securely in the same convenient online portal where you can manage your DOT drug testing and random pool. We contact prior employers, check the Clearinghouse on your behalf, and report it all back to you in a comprehensive background check report, that includes:
Credential Verification
Sometimes, the job candidate who seems to be most qualified is lying on his or her resume. In fact, it is quite common for people to misrepresent their education, degrees earned, and work history in order to qualify for a job that they otherwise would not obtain. An unqualified employee – especially one who forges aspects of their experience – creates serious risks for business leaders and HR executives.
Health Street’s background checks in Alabama can verify a person’s resume, confirming the information that they have provided to you about their education, employment history, professional licensure, and degrees earned. We can even check references. Including these options on your background check in Alabama gives you and your business the protection it deserves and the knowledge that you are hiring honest, qualified candidates.