Health surveillance is the regular systematic monitoring of employees’ health to identify early signs of work-related damage by exposure to known hazards, and putting preventative measures in place to avoid any long term or permanent harm.

Health surveillance is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, COSHH and a number of other regulations covering specific hazards including lead, asbestos, noise and vibration.

It may be appropriate where potential exposure to a hazard has a recognised health effect which can be measured and tested. This can take the form of assessing hearing, measuring lung function, examining the skin or carrying out blood or urine tests.

Screening can be conducted both offshore by specially trained medics or at any of Abermed’s centres by our specially trained screening technicians.

Four Steps

Health risk management is implemented as a continuous process, designed to cover all aspects of risk management. The process is broken down into four stages:

1. IDENTIFY RISK
   The first stage of the process is to identify if there is a hazard to health and who may be affected by it. This includes a consideration of chemical, biological and physical agents and work activities.
2. ELIMINATE
   Where a risk has been identified, the next stage is to try and eliminate it. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as changing the way an activity is performed.
3. RISK ASSESSMENT
   If a risk still remains, a risk assessment will be carried out to determine the degree of risk. This work is often conducted by an HSE specialist or an Occupational Hygienist.
4. CONTROL
   Once the degree of risk has been established, the next stage is to identify the controls required to reduce or control the risk. This will always include a consideration of the task itself, the people involved, what tools and equipment are used and the working environment.