Health Surveillance Policy

Introduction

Each year many thousands of people become ill because of the work they do. Some suffer diseases or conditions that can mean years of pain. Business loses billions of pounds through sickness absence and lost production. Yet occupational ill health is preventable and many of these costs can be reduced by managers taking effective steps to control health risks at work. One of these steps is to arrange for health surveillance of employees.

There is also a legal duty under, principally the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSW Regs) and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, to provide health surveillance at work.

It is our policy to:

• Carry out risk assessments under the MHSW Regs and any other applicable Health and Safety Regulations in order to decide if health surveillance is appropriate.
• Place affected employees under suitable health surveillance where the risk assessment(s) indicate that health surveillance is appropriate.
• Consult with employees and, where applicable safety representatives, over the proposed arrangements for health surveillance and for the need for affected employees to participate in these arrangements.
• Inform affected employees and, where applicable safety representatives of the health risks and of the health surveillance procedure.
• Ensure that the person carrying out the health surveillance procedure is competent to undertake the task.
• Ensure that the results of health surveillance is suitably recorded and that the records are kept readily available for inspection by any person who has a right to see them.
• Suitably action any recommendations made as result of health surveillance and if necessary review the associated risk assessment.
• Treat an individual's health surveillance records as confidential information.
• Inform employees and, where applicable safety representatives, of the collective results of health surveillance, but ensuring that no individual is identified.
• Ensuring that health surveillance records are retained for statutory retention periods.