Health surveillance is a system of ongoing health checks aimed at protecting employees from specific health risks at work. The objectives are:
- detecting ill-health effects from specific risks in the workplace at an early stage,
- highlighting lapses in workplace control measures, therefore providing invaluable feedback to the risk assessment
- providing an opportunity to reinforce training and education of employees (e.g. on the impact of health effects and the use of protective equipment)
- enabling employees to raise concerns about how work affects their health
- providing data to help your employer evaluate health risks and the effectiveness of workplace interventions and adjustments
The starting point for health surveillance is the risk assessment, which is the responsibility of the manager. This will identify potential hazards in your workplace and who is at risk. Control measures to minimise the risk and the effect on the employee’s health should then be put in place. Control measures may not always be reliable, despite appropriate checking and maintenance, so health surveillance can help make sure that any ill health effects are detected as early as possible.
NHS Grampian currently undertakes health surveillance with the support of OHS for workers exposed to the following: