Health SurveillanceWhy we do thishttp://www.gla.ac.uk/services/occupationalhealthunit/

Occupational Health: ohu@admin.gla.ac.uk

The Laws

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002

• The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005

• The Control of vibration at Work Regulations 2005

• Your employer has a legal duty of care, to look after your health, by carrying out health surveillance, this is in addition to the occupational health services which are already provided for you.

• Health surveillance is required under law, and your employer must allow you to attend, this is beneficial to you as it is a way of making sure that your health is not being damaged by work.

Why you need health surveillance

• If you are exposed to risk, by working with tools, or in an area where you are exposed to any hazardous material, noise or vibration, then you need health surveillance.

• Your employer is legally required to provide health surveillance.

How often is this carried out

•Pre-employment/pre-placement assessment

•Periodic assessment:– Annually for the first 2 years, then as appropriate:

– 3 yearly for hearing

– Yearly for lung function/skin assessment

– Yearly for HAVS

Health Surveillance will

•Provide a baseline for future tests to be compared against

•Will show if the measures put in place to are working efficiently

•Show early signs of the effects of work on health

•Allow steps to be taken to prevent further damage

Health Surveillance

•Your health surveillance is mandatory, and you cannot opt out.

•There are other types of health screening (not surveillance) which are voluntary – night workers for example

There are 4 tests which we do:

•Spirometry (lung function)

•Audiometry (hearing test)

•Skin assessment

•Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) assessment

Test 1

• Spirometry (lung function) – makes sure that your breathing is not being affected by work, or exposure to dust, chemicals or fumes for example

Test 2

•Skin surveillance, accompanies lung function testing, as skin can be irritated by similar substances

Early irritant dermatitis

Late fissuring in irritant contact dermatitis

Test 3

•Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) – is a way of finding out if you have an underlying medical condition which can be affected by working with vibrating tools, or if working with vibration is affecting your hands arms, or circulation.

White Finger

Test 4

•Audiometry (hearing test) – can show if you have any hearing loss due to noise, either following exposure at work, or in your hobbies. It is also a way of measuring if your hearing protection is working properly, and being worn according to the manufacturer recommendations.

Hearing test

Test Results

•The results of your health surveillance will be explained to you, these results are kept, confidentially, in your health record, for 40 years.

•We will ask you to sign the fit form at the end of your health surveillance:

Referral

•If any of your test results require further input, either by your GP or by the OHU, you will be informed.

•If you are given test results to hand into your GP, it is your responsibility to do this.

Questions??

Any Questions??