What is health surveillance?
Health Surveillance is a systematic process to detect and assess the early signs of adverse effects on the health of workers exposed to certain workplace health hazards.
“This means having a system to look for early signs of ill health caused by substances and other hazards at work” HSE website.
Who decides on the type of surveillance required?
This is determined by the outcome of your risk assessment. Typical surveillance tests include lung function, hearing tests, skin checks.
When is health surveillance necessary?
Health surveillance is necessary when:
- There is an identifiable disease or other identifiable adverse health outcome
- The disease or health effect may be related to exposure
- There is a likelihood that the disease or health effect may occur
- there are valid techniques for detecting indications of the disease or health effects.
It is essential that employers adopt robust and legally compliant health surveillance programmes to protect their staff
How do I get this process started?
We will work with you to determine the level, type and frequency of surveillance according to your risk assessments. We will undertake the surveillance on site and will provide individuals’ results forms, group anonymised data sheet and an annual surveillance report (where appropriate) detailing recommendations as a result of the programme undertaken.
