Asbestos - Health Surveillance & Records

Health Surveillance and records

Health surveillance is now required for all employees who are, or may be, exposed to asbestos dust at work, with no exceptions for low-intensity or sporadic exposure. Where employees are, or may be, exposed to dust arising from asbestos or materials containing asbestos at work, employers must ensure that appropriate health surveillance is provided to its employees.

This health surveillance, including an assessment of the employee’s state of health, must be carried out by a medical practitioner who understands the risks with asbestos and the specific work being carried out. The assessment of an employee’s health, to include the health surveillance must commence before exposure begins and at regular intervals thereafter, and the employer must act on any medical advice given.

Health surveillance must include, at a minimum, a review of the employee’s medical and occupational history, a personal interview, a general clinical examination with particular attention to the chest, and lung function tests. Further examinations, such as chest X-rays or scans, must be carried out where the medical practitioner considers them necessary.

Individual medical records shall be maintained be maintained by the responsible medical practitioner containing the following information:

1. Name and personal address of the employee concerned.
2. Name of employer concerned and the appropriate address or addresses.
3. Date of birth of the employee.
4. Date of commencement of asbestos exposure (if known).
5. Medical history of employee.
6. Occupational history of employee.
7. The results of asbestos sampling which relates to the employee's exposure.
8. The results of clinical examination and the significance of the results.
9. Details of any action taken by the responsible medical practitioner concerned following the results of a health assessment.

The medical records of each employee or copies thereof shall be maintained by the appropriate responsible medical practitioner for 40 years after the last assessment. Access to their individual medical record shall be given to the employee.

Occupational Health Register

The employer must also keep and maintain an occupational health register for each employee, recording the required health and exposure information, keeping it up to date, and retaining it as a long-term record because asbestos-related illnesses can develop many years after exposure.

The information in an occupational health register shall include -

(a)  the name and registered business address of the employer and the address of the place of asbestos exposure (premises or site location);
(b)  a brief description of the work activity involving asbestos including the nature and duration of activity and the exposure to asbestos;
(c)  the name and address of each person to whom either or both air monitoring and a health assessment relates;
(d)  the dates and times of each assessment of the risk of exposure to asbestos and the name of the person who carried out such assessment;
(e)  details of the nature of each assessment of the risk of exposure to asbestos;
(f)  the dates of and results of examinations and tests on any respiratory protective equipment with sufficient information so as to enable the identification of any particular respiratory protective equipment;
(g)  the dates and results of air monitoring including details of -

1. in the case of personal sampling, the name and job description of the persons being monitored,
2. in the case of static sampling, the location of static samplers,
3. the length of sampling times in each case, and
4. the results and the interpretation of the results of such sampling;

(h)  in the case of health assessment, the information required under Regulation 20(6);
(i)  the name of the responsible medical practitioner making the health assessment, and the name and signature of the person duly making the entry in the register.