Health Surveillance

Health Surveillance is one of the tools by which the Consolidated Text, Leg. 81/2008 as amended, protects and ensures health and safety in the workplace. Health Surveillance is compulsory in certain cases stipulated by current regulations, by way of example, when the work activity involves manual handling of loads, use of video terminals, exposure to noise, vibration, electromagnetic fields, optical radiation, chemical agents, biological agents, asbestos, carcinogens and mutagens. In such cases, the Employer must appoint a Medical Officer.

Occupational Medicine is the medical specialty dedicated to protecting the health of the worker to prevent, diagnose and treat occupational diseases. The specialist in Occupational Medicine, the Medical Officer, plans and carries out Health Surveillance according to Article 41 of Leg. 81/2008 through health protocols defined according to specific risks and taking into account the most advanced scientific guidelines.

The primary objective of Health Surveillance is to protect the health of workers, that is, to ensure that the relationship between health conditions and working conditions is adequate. The Medical Officer monitors the fitness of workers by considering the risk factors on the one hand and the way in which the activity is carried out on the other. Therefore, the Medical Officer works with the Prevention and Protection Service and, of course, with the RSPP to keep the Risk Assessment Document updated.

The Health Protocol

The Physician-in-Charge classifies tasks, work activities, and related risks and compiles a health and risk protocol for each task performed by workers. Once the risks have been identified, the Competent Doctor plans and carries out Health Surveillance and the health protocol (medical and instrumental examinations, specialist examinations), establishing the periodicity of the examinations and assessments, necessary to express a judgment of suitability for each worker. The Physician-in-Charge also:

establishes, updates and maintains the health and risk record in which his health data and condition or psychophysical state and the results of any examinations are recorded for each worker,
Prepares the health surveillance plan, an annual report of the activity,
Conducts an inspection of work environments.

Assessments can be preventive and periodic. With preventive examinations, the Medical Officer verifies the absence of contraindications to the work task. Periodic assessments have a threefold purpose:

Early identification of possible health damage caused by work activity,
Checking for any non-work-related alterations in health status so that these are not aggravated in the case of particular work activities,
Periodic verification that the preventive measures taken are adequate.

Fundamental is the judgment of fitness, the final evaluation given by the Medical Officer related to the specific task, recorded in the health record. The judgment can be full fitness, partial fitness, temporary unfitness, permanent unfitness.

Check list Legislative Decree 81/2008

Through the check list on occupational safety, we can analyze the current situation under law 81/2008

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