Health Surveillance

Some Health and Safety Regulations require employers to provide health surveillance for their employees.

For example it is a requirement of COSHH that all employees who are exposed to respiratory / skin sensitisers in the workplace have a base line check and a yearly assessment.

Therefore in order to protect their employees managers are legally bound to Risk Assess their workplace and ‘at risk’ employees. 

If you feel that you are at risk from a workplace substance or practice you must discuss it with your manager and/or your Health and Safety Representative.

Risk Assessment will identify:

• health hazards in your workplace
• who is at risk
• measures already in place to help control the risk
• actions still required to ensure the safety of employees

Where a risk remains health surveillance may be required.

Health surveillance provides you with information which helps you to protect employees from illness caused by being exposed to health risks at work. But remember that health surveillance is not a substitute for controlling health risks at work.

The HSE have produced guidance with regard to the legal requirements of the various legislation such as: COSHH Regulations which covers solvents, fumes, dusts, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health and the Control of Noise at Work Regulations and Control of Vibration at Work Regulations.  

At pre-employment employees are screened in line with the manager’s risk assessment and followed up accordingly.

Managers must then inform Occupational Health of the outcome of any risk assessments which highlight the need for health surveillance.  

Surveillance will then be undertaken by appointment with the Occupational Health Team.

All employees are encouraged to report work related health symptoms immediately; health surveillance is an added safety net.

• HSE Dermatitis Poster

• www.hse.gov.uk