Health Surveillance Info

What is health surveillance?

Health surveillance is about systematically watching out for early signs of work related ill health in employees exposed to certain health risks. It means putting in place certain procedures to achieve this. These procedures include:

■ Simple methods, such as looking for skin damage on hands from using certain chemicals;

■ Technical checks on employees, such as hearing tests;

■ More involved medical examinations.

Don’t confuse this type of health surveillance with health promotion or general health checks.

How do I know whether I should introduce health surveillance?

The starting point is your risk assessment. Through this, you should have found out the health hazards in your workplace, identified who is at risk and taken measures to do something to control the risk. Where risks remain, you will need to take further steps, one of which is to consider health surveillance. But remember that health surveillance is not a substitute for controlling health risks at work.

In particular, ask yourself whether any of your employees is at risk from:

■ Noise or hand-arm vibration. If so, health surveillance may be needed under the

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;

■ Solvents, fumes, dusts, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health. If so, health surveillance may be needed under the Control of Substances

Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002;

■ Asbestos, lead or work in compressed air. If so, medical examinations may be needed under specific regulations;

■ Ionising radiations or diving. If so, fitness for work medical checks may be needed under specific regulations on these.

What’s the value?

Health surveillance provides you with information which helps you to protect employees from illness caused by being exposed to health risks at work. It enables you to manage these risks effectively by acting as a check on:

■ How your control measures are working; and

■ Helping to pinpoint where you need to take further steps.

It also provides a valuable opportunity for feedback from employees and a chance to reinforce your health and safety messages to them.