1. Health surveillance: what does it consist of?
The
health surveillance
is part of
occupational medicine
and consists of a series of actions to safeguard and protect workers. The main points on which it is based are:
– the level of occupational risk;
– the environment and workplace;
– the performance of the employee’s work task.
2. Who is in charge of health surveillance?
The person in charge in the control of
health surveillance
is the
competent physician
appointed by the employer or under the advice of the Prevention and Protection Service Manager (RSPP). Together with the employer and other specialized experts in the field, the competent physician is committed to ensuring the safety and good health of workers performing their duties within the company.
3. Health surveillance: when is it mandatory?
The
health surveillance
Is compulsory in cases stipulated in the current regulations. In addition, the appointment of a competent physician is mandatory in all companies where workers are exposed to certain specific risks:
– exposure to toxic or infectious substances;
– exposure to lead, asbestos;
– exposures to noise, ionizing radiation;
– exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents;
– exposure to carcinogens;
– manual handling of loads;
– use of video terminals;
– silicosis.
4. The main obligations of health surveillance and the competent physician
The law imposes obligations with which the competent physician must comply. Let’s delve deeper together:
– Has a duty to keep the health records of each worker under his or her responsibility. Custody can be kept either in paper or computerized format. In cases where the number of employees is greater than 15, the competent physician and the employer shall come to an agreement to assign the safest place to store the records;
– taking into account the risks to which the worker is exposed, the competent doctor is obliged to carry out the inspections periodically or annually, providing if necessary with improvement interventions thus preventing occupational injuries and diseases;
– is obliged to draw up and regularly update the health protocol in which the health assessments, medical examinations and medical measures taken by him are present;
– has a duty to conduct the labor medical examination from which it can be deduced whether a worker is fit for the task he or she performs or has dysfunctions;
– has an obligation to have an informational interview with workers regarding the assessments and examinations to which they are subjected;
– must carry out the preventive examination to which the worker is subjected to verify his or her suitability in relation to the task he or she is going to perform;
– must conduct periodic medical examination of workers to confirm their fitness;
– must review the Risk Assessment Document (DVR) related to the
health surveillance
company of workers;
– is obliged to issue each worker with asuitability for performing the task.
5. The workers’ health record
As already anticipated, the workers’ health record can be in two formats:
– paper;
– computerized.
In both cases, the competent physician is responsible for the safekeeping and preservation of the records. In the case of paper files, he is obliged to set up a specific place for their storage to which only he has access. The arranged place should be indicated in the appointment letter of the competent physician.
In the case of computerized records, the competent doctor uses company software to collect all the information about the worker, each person’s work hazards, assessments, medical examinations, and everything related to his or her health.
6. Obligations of the worker
The worker’s obligation in relation to
health surveillance
is to cooperate with the competent doctor by informing him of his working conditions and to undergo necessary medical examinations that serve to protect him.
Occupational medicine, health surveillance and health services.
Synergos is a company that has been involved in occupational medicine for more than 25 years. The company provides health care services, offers consulting and conducts training courses to businesses and freelancers to ensure their safety in the workplace. With offices in Lecce and clients throughout Italy, Synergos is the ideal partner in health surveillance!
