Health Surveillance

The latest update to the Updated Health Surveillance Policy is available to view.

Health surveillance is about systematically watching out for early signs of work-related, ill-health in employees exposed to certain health risks. It means putting in place certain procedures to achieve this and is required by law where there is a detectable disease associated with that type of work.

These procedures include:

  • Simple methods, such as looking for skin damage on hands from using certain chemicals 
  • Technical checks on employees, such as hearing or lung function tests
  • More involved medical examinations perhaps where radiation or vibrating equipment is used

The first stage of any health surveillance programme is to identify potential  hazards to health via a risk assessment. If the hazard cannot be completely controlled or eliminated, further steps need to be taken to protect employee health - one of which is to consider health surveillance.

The links below will lead you to additional information for employees/employers regarding Health Survelliance.

Health Surveillance Process 

It is the responsibility of the line manager/PI to identify employees that require health surveillance following a risk assessment.  The health surveillance risk assessment form can be used to help carry out this risk assessment to help identify whether health surveillance is needed.  Further information on this form can be found on the Safety and Environmental Protection Services website under A-Z Index, Health Surveilance or, via this link.

If the assessment concludes that health surveillance is required, the line manager must ensure that the relevant member(s) of staff are then identified to the Occupational Health Unit using the SEPS Health Surveillance Risk Assessment. 

Occupational Health will arrange to carry out examinsations in appropriate cases.  A completed SEPS Health Surveillance Risk Assessment covering the work MUST accompany all requests for health surveillance to Occupational Health. 

For more information about health in the workplace, see our factsheets on various health and work related issues: