DEFINITION

“Monitoring of a person for the purpose ofidentifying changes in health status due tooccupational exposure to chemicals hazardous tohealth”

DEFINITION

“Occupational Health Doctor”means a medicalpractitioner registered with the DG (DOSH) toconduct medical surveillance program of employees.

“Occupational Medical Surveillance Records”means forms specified in this guidelines for thepurpose of keeping of medical records.

DEFINITION

“Health surveillance”means any examination andinvestigations which may be necessary to detectexposure levels and early biological effects andresponses, and includes biological monitoring,biological effect monitoring, medical surveillance,enquires about symptoms of occupationalpoisoning or occupational disease and review ofrecords and occupational history.

MEDICAL SURVIELLANCE

The purpose of medical surveillance is for the earlyidentification of conditions, if any, that couldpresent an increased risk of adverse health effectsrelated to the task being performed.

DEFINITION“Chemicals hazardous to health”means any chemicalwhich :

a)is listed in Schedule I or II;

b)possess any of the properties categorised in Part B ofSchedule I of the Occupational

Safety and Health (Classification, Packaging andLabelling of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 1997;

c)comes within the definition of “pesticide”under thePesticides Act 1974;

d)is listed in the First Schedule of the EnvironmentalQuality (Schedule Wastes) Regulations 1989.

OBJECTIVES

I. The primary purpose of the medicalsurveillance program is to identifymedical conditions that could leadto an occupational disease.

II. The secondary objective is to assurecompliance with OSHA 1994regulations which require medicalmonitoring when employees usecertain materials.

SEC 28 – OSHA 1994

CON’T

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COMPONENT OF MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE

CON’T

April 20, 1971 Negligence — Duty of care — Manufacturer — Exposure tochemical containing carcinogen — Whether danger foreseeable. (refer toan article provided)

SYNOPSIS

English Court of Appeal decision of Wright v Dunlop RubberCo Ltd (1972) KIR255 which stipulated that reasonable stepsdepend upon the particulars facts.

This case is directly on point as it was stated that if amanufacturer discovers that the product is unsafe or hasreason to believe that it may be unsafe, its duty may be tocease forthwith to manufacture or supply the product in itsunsafe form.

The factors which would be relevant include the gravity ofthe consequences if the risk should become a reality and thegravity of the consequences which would arise from thewithdrawal of the product.

CON’T

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HEALTH SURVEILLANCE (REGULATION 27)

Indicate by assessment result, employee exposedor likely to be exposed

Carryout by OHD

Exposed to Schedule II – 12 months interval orless

Record keeping 30 years

Maintained for inspection

Employees allowed to access health surveillancerecords after notice

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CONDUCTING HEALTH SURVEILLANCEPROGRAM

PART IX, REGULATION 27

For the protection of the health of employeesexposed or likely to exposed to chemicalshazardous to health

If an employee is exposed or likely to be exposedto chemical listed in Schedule II surveillance haveto be repeated of not more than 12 month.

Duties of employer

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HEALTH SURVEILLANCE

To detect exposure levels and early biological,effects and response include

Biological monitoring

Medical surveilance

Biological effect monitoring

Review of record and occupational history

Enquiries about occupational poisoning oroccupational disease symptom

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HEALTH SURVEILLANCE RECORD

Maintained and kept for a period of 30 years

Available for examination and inspection

Accessible to employees

Duties of employer

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MEDICAL REMOVAL PROTECTIONPART X, REGULATION 28

Removal of employee from any work thatexposes or likely to expose to chemicalhazardous to health

occupational health doctor detected medicalcondition which place employee at increasedrisk of material impairment to health from theexposure

Remove pregnant or breast feeding employeefrom work which expose to chemical hazardousto health

Duties of employer

FMA – REGULATION 33

FMA- REGULATION 34

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FMA-REGULATION 35

FMA – REGULATION 36

FMA – REGULATION 37

FMA – REGULATION 38

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FMA – REGULATION 39

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FMA – REGULATION 40

FMA –DUST REGULATION

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FMA –ASBESTOS PROCESS

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DUTIES OF OCCUPATIONALHEALTH DOCTOR (OHD)

(1)Conduct the pre-employment and pre-placement medicalexamination (baseline medical data) of employees to assessfitness for work, taking into consideration the hazards and riskassessment in the workplace. The use of Occupational MedicalSurveillance Programme Record Book and Employee RecordBook is suggested.

(2)Determination of the ability to work while wearing thePersonal Protective Equipment.

(3)Maintain the medical records of employees during thecourse of employment (periodic) and post termination.

(4)Documentation of employee exposure to hazards atworkplace.

CON’T

(5)Interpret and explain the results of investigations to theEMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER and specify what furtherfollow up action is necessary.

(6)Analysis of Occupational Diseases & Poisoning and co-relate with Chemical Health Risk Assessment.

(7)Investigation of the cause of the Occupational DiseasePoisoning. Visit work place and recommend remedialactions. For medical removal protection use theappropriate forms.

(8)Notification of Occupational Diseases & Poisoning toDOSH and employer.

CON’T

(9)Assist in Implementation of Occupational HealthProgram in the workplace.

(10) Assist in the management of Occupational Diseases& Poisoning including removal from work, treatment,rehabilitation, disability assessment, return to work and orcompensation.

(11) Reinforce the value of education! training inOccupational Health to both employer and employee.

(12) Assist in Audit ! Evaluation of Occupational HealthProgram in the workplace.

DUTIES OF EMPLOYER

(1)Carry out health surveillance programme as required bythe assessment report under USECHH Regulations.

(2)Health surveillance programme shall be conductedduring the working hours and the costs shall be borne bythe employer.

(3)Appoint an Occupational Health Doctor, (OHD) toconduct occupational medical surveillance programme.

(4)Allow and assist the OHD to visit the workplace toinvestigate and manage occupational disease andpoisoning including access to relevant monitoring andother health related data.

CON’T

(5)Co-operate with the OHD in medical removalprotection of the worker.

(6)During the period of medical removal the worker maybe allowed to do other work that will not expose him tothe hazardous chemical.

(7)Notify occupational disease and poisoning to DOSH .

(8)Notify the workers concerned regarding monitoring ofexposure levels of chemicals hazardous to healthincluding occupational disease and poisoning.

CON’T

(9)Allow the employee access to occupational medicalsurveillance records.

(10)Ensure the workplace hygiene is improved, is safeand healthy and does not place the worker at increasedrisk of material impairment to health from exposure tochemical hazardous to health. before allowing theworker to work in the same place so as to ensure thedisease or poisoning does not reoccur.

(11)Record Keeping of diseases and accidents.

(12)Provide Employee Medical Book.

DUTIES OF EMPLOYEE

(1)Undergo training on importance of preventingoccupational poisoning and disease.

(2)Report early symptoms and signs of disease (including self examination) to the OHD andmanagement.

(3)Comply and co-operate in the Occupational MedicalSurveillance Programme, as required under USECHH.

(4)To take proper care of the Employee Record Bookand to present it to OHD for Occupational MedicalSurveillance record purposes.