Today’s work environments are increasingly complex. Organisations have a duty to protect the health of their employees. Implementing health surveillance programmes can be a key part of this. But what exactly is health surveillance, when is it required by law, and how does it fit into your organisation’s broader workforce health, safety and wellbeing strategy?
What is health surveillance?
Health surveillance is a system of ongoing health checks aimed at identifying potential work-related ill-health at an early stage. It is particularly important for employees exposed to specific hazards, such as chemicals, noise, vibration, or airborne pollutants. The goal is to safeguard employees’ health. But health surveillance is also important in ensuring organisations comply with occupational health and safety regulations.
What does health surveillance involve?
Health surveillance involves periodic assessments, which can include medical examinations, biological monitoring, or questionnaires, depending on the type of hazard the employees are exposed to. Health surveillance will look slightly different in different organisations. The timeline on frequency of assessments and the occupational health personnel carrying out the checks depends on the type of hazard, level of risk and regulatory framework.
Is health surveillance required by law in the UK?
In the UK, certain workplace risks require health surveillance by law. The relevant legislation spans multiple different laws which can make it confusing for employers.
Workplace hazards where health surveillance is a legal requirement include but are not limited to:
● Asbestos
● Lead
● Ionising radiation
● Noise
● Vibration
● Substances hazardous to health
This is because there are established links between the hazard and deteriorations in health that are detectable and can be prevented by early action. So health surveillance can make a real difference to an individual’s health, and what the workforce can deliver for an organisation.
Why is health surveillance important?
Organisations must comply with legal and regulatory frameworks to monitor health outcomes for certain work environments. By identifying early signs of work-related illness, employers can take action to adjust work practices, reduce exposure, or provide medical treatment before a condition worsens. A proactive approach helps safeguard employee health, which also relates to reducing sickness absence, retaining employees and promoting organisational productivity.
What happens after the health surveillance is complete?
It's essential to put health surveillance within the wider health and safety at work context. Health surveillance gathers data that must be used to guide health and work decision making. There is no use to the individuals or the organisation if surveillance takes place in silo without any action on results. As an employer, it is important that the occupational health professional carrying out the health surveillance feeds back to you about:
Each worker’s fitness for the task with the hazard exposure
Ehen each worker requires repeat health surveillance
This is key to keeping the workforce safe and complying with the law. The data gathered through health surveillance must inform safe and intelligent decision making in organisations. Employers acting upon the health surveillance results means
Assigning individuals to alternative roles where workplace hazards are affecting their health
Supporting affected workers to access further healthcare where necessary
Reviewing trends from workforce health surveillance to help understand how effectively risks are being controlled
Where is the information stored?
Records of the outcome of health surveillance must be maintained by the employer. This is separate to any confidential medical information about employees, which should be kept by the occupational health service responsible for the health surveillance. These medical records are confidential, employers must have employee consent to access the information they contain.
Conclusion
Health surveillance can be perceived as a tick box exercise. Far from it, health surveillance is one aspect of occupational health that must fit into a wider strategy. Occupational Health Clinicians at Insight Workplace Health work with employers to identify an organisation's needs and implement an appropriate health surveillance programme. Our mobile screening vans contain everything required to conduct a mobile health surveillance clinic- making it as easy and convenient as possible for employees and employers. Most importantly, our team of nurses help close the loop on the results, supporting employers to adjust control measures where necessary.
Where employees require further occupational health support as a result of issues identified through health surveillance, we can help arrange this too. Meeting legislative requirements and protecting workforce health are critical for organisations. Using Insight Workplace Health’s services for health surveillance means employers can have confidence in the integrity of the surveillance process and the wider work and health strategy beyond.
Need to set up a health surveillance programme for your business? Contact us here or call us on 01792 321010 to get ball rolling today!
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