Health surveillance is the process of regular review of the health of employees expose to various forms of health risk.
Health surveillance is important for:
• Identifying ill-health effects at an early stage, so employers can introduce better controls to prevent them getting worse
Availability data to help employers evaluate health risks
• Access employees to raise concerns about how work affects their health
• Pop up failure in workplace control measures, hence providing invaluable feedback to the risk assessment
Purpose of health surveillance
The purpose is to maintain and protect the health and safety of employees. This is by regular detection of adverse changes to health as a result of workplace exposures. This can help you
• Proof of the effectiveness of existing control measures
• Identifying where they may still be having an impact on employee health.
When Health surveillance is required:
Some employees may need to take part in a health surveillance program as part of their existing contract. This could include baseline (recorded at the start of employment), ongoing and exit health surveillance. It may also be required as a result of potential hazardous exposures at work.
It can include various types of tests.
• Skin examination.
• Hand and arm or full body vibration tests .
• Lung function tests – such as peak flow and spirometry.
• Hearing or vision tests – such as audiology or keystone.
• Medical tests – such as blood, urine, ECG and blood pressure
• Physical tests – such as musculoskeletal, dexterity, function, height and weight.
• Confidential health questionnaires which are industry specific and require a detailed recorded history.
Aspects of health surveillance:
Where specific medical examinations are involved, establish the medical personnel’s knowledge and expertise in these areas. They should be aware of the working environment. You also need to establish who will be responsible for interpreting the results.
Occupational health personnel can includes:
• physicians
• advisers
• medical technicians.
They can perform health assessments and carry out medical examinations. They may also carry out:
• confined spaces medicals
• night workers assessment
• drivers medicals, such as LGV and fork lift trucks
• assessments for new employees within the organisation or those changing roles
• assessments for young workers, such as new apprentices, students or those under 18.
Health protection :
An suitable strategy to protect people at work from health risks should implement the following elements.
1. Pre- employment health screening
2. Primary and secondary monitoring
3. Supervision of vulnerable groups
4. Avoiding potential risks
Hence health surveillance and health production is very important to implement in the organisation to ensure employee health and hygienic so that the employee will give productivity without any failure and causes. Organisation should review employee health and safety regularly to meet the legal requirements. Learn How to conduct health surveillance test and health protection check up from nebosh syllabus associated with nebosh course in chennai center.
