Health surveillance shouldn’t be confused with health screening or wellness promotions and campaigns which are separate from your health and safety policy. It should be considered part of the overall management of work-related risks to health and safety.
Carrying out medical surveillance is required for compliance with various parts of UK health and safety legislation, such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. Apart from the legal side, benefits of a health surveillance regime include protecting the health of employees with early detection of illness, musculoskeletal disorders or disease, and evaluating health hazards and current control measures with real data.
Health surveillance test results need to be interpreted by someone with the right knowledge, skills and experience and action taken to eliminate or minimise exposure to employees.