Health Surveillance and Health Monitoring
Health Surveillance and Health Monitoring is involved in creating systematic, regular, and specific procedures to detect work-related ill health in staff exposed to certain health risks, and acting on the results. These procedures:
- protect the health of staff through early detection of any adverse health effects. Early intervention is key.
- assess the control measures in the workplace.
- collect information regarding workplace hazards.
Surveillance & monitoring ranges from a simple annual questionnaire to comprehensive assessments such as hearing tests and lung function tests. Examples of some hazards include:
- very noisy workplaces 鈥� hearing tests.
- working with substances which can cause asthma 鈥� questionnaire and lung function tests.
- working with substances which can cause dermatitis 鈥� questionnaire and skin inspection.
- Night working which can have an adverse effect on health over time 鈥� Annual health questionnaire and face to face assessment offered 2 yearly.
- Drivers of University vehicles 鈥� Annual health questionnaire.
- Small Unmanned Aircraft (drones) Annual health questionnaire offered /hss/inflink/drones.php.en.
For the majority of substances used in University work, health surveillance is not required as a result of a COSHH assessment. Under the University Policy, health surveillance will be carried out where it has been deemed appropriate via a COSHH assessment. Where surveillance is appropriate, staff will need to be referred to the Occupational Health Service by using the health surveillance survey form.