Health surveillance

Health surveillance is a method of systematically detecting early signs of work-related ill health in employees that could be related to workplace exposure and acting on the results.

Health surveillance is needed to:

protect workers who are at an increased risk
identify work-related ill health at an early stage so that steps can be taken to treat the condition and prevent further damage
give early warning that protective control measures are no longer effective.

Health surveillance does not reduce the need to eliminate or manage health risks.

We undertake health surveillance for the following hazards and others:

staff mixing cytotoxic drugs
staff having a known latex allergy
exposure to lead mercury and cadmium
working with dust including, wood dust, plaster dust, incinerator dust and fumes
working with chemicals such as peracetic acid
working with ionising radiation
high-risk exposures to hazardous pathogens, e.g. TB
exposure to high levels of hand transmitted vibration e.g. plaster technicians

If you require oh Occupational Health and Wellbeing to initiate health surveillance please contact us by emailing: add-tr.ohhelpline@nhs.net.

Resources:

Request form for health surveillance

Latex surveillance questionnaire

Hand hygiene policy

CUH Dermatitis awareness poster

Annual latex Health Surveillance Questionnaire

Glove Algorithm

Skin Protection under PPE presentation