Health Surveillance and Health Monitoring - do I need it?

Health surveillance and Health monitoring- do I need it? 

 

The HSE are placing an increasing focus on health in the workplace as part of their 10-year plan. With that in mind, what resources are available to help us identify occupational diseases and ill health such as dermatitis and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s), and ensure controls are protecting the workforce? 

 

Health Surveillance: 

 

If your work involves exposure to hazards such as noise, vibration, and hazardous substances then there is a legal requirement for you to provide health surveillance to workers exposed to the hazard, even when controls are in place. You may also need to provide medical surveillance if there is exposure to high hazard substances or agents such as asbestos, lead, ionising radiation, compressed air and hazardous substances. 

 

Health surveillance consists of repeated health checks which can then be used to identify ill health caused by work and should be set up with input from a competent occupational health professional. The principle of Medical surveillance is the same as Health surveillance, but due to the nature of the hazard, an HSE ‘appointed Doctor’ must be used. 

 

Health monitoring: 

 

MSD’s are often caused, or aggravated by, manual handling, repetitive tasks and continuous use of display screen equipment. 

 

Health monitoring, whilst not a legal requirement, is essential for early identification of MSD’s and in ensuring controls are suitable. This type of monitoring is particularly useful when introducing new tasks or a change to an existing task. 

 

When setting up a health monitoring system, steps to follow would include: 

 

• Consulting with the workforce on what, why and who 

• Planning frequencies of monitoring 

• Creating an environment where employees can report MSD’s as early as possible 

• Reviewing sickness, absence, and any occupational health records for trends 

• Involving employees in the solution process when implementing further controls 

 

Written by Leanne Kelly 

 

If you have any questions regarding health surveillance or monitoring, or need help establishing what you should be doing, then please call Leanne on 07709 675925, Jane on 07743 198414, or Tracey on 07872 589286. Alternatively, you can drop us a message at hello@influentialmg.com. 

 

Useful links: 

Health surveillance - Overview (hse.gov.uk) 

HSE and the work of appointed doctors 

Health monitoring and support for workers - MSDs - HSE 

Toolkit for assessing musculoskeletal disorders risk - HSE