Health Surveillance in The Midlands

Safety glasses representing workplace health surveillance services in the Midlands

Workplace Health Surveillance In The Midlands

Health surveillance helps employers monitor employees who may be exposed to workplace health risks and identify early signs of work-related ill health. Global WHM provides workplace health surveillance services across the Midlands, helping employers put appropriate monitoring programmes in place based on the risks within their workplace.

Our health surveillance services include skin surveillance, hearing surveillance for noise exposure, respiratory surveillance and Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) surveillance. We work with employers to understand their workplace risks and provide proportionate occupational health support, helping them protect employee health and understand whether existing control measures are effective.

Our Health Surveillance Services

Occupational health skin surveillance assessment

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome HAVS health surveillance

Noise at work hearing surveillance for employees

Occupational health respiratory surveillance for employees

Skin Surveillance

A common misconception is that our skin will protect us from everything. In group training sessions, I have passed a garlic around, invited volunteers to rub the garlic on their skin, go and wash it off and see if the smell remains. That garlic has absorbed into our skin. The same can happen at work with substances that people are working with

If your employees are exposed to substances that are irritative or sensitising, they may be at risk of developing skin conditions. We will work with you to understand your workplace risks and develop an appropriate surveillance programme:

Establishing an employee’s baseline skin condition
undertake regular skin assessments, usually alongside other health surveillance
provide advice where an employee has an underlying skin condition
provide recommendations where early symptoms of an allergic response or work-related skin condition are identified

Noise At Work Surveillance

Noise surveillance will form a part of your Controlling Noise at Work controls and measures.

If your employees are regularly exposed to noise in excess of 85dB, they will probably need hearing surveillance. The surveillance will help you as the employer understand whether your control measures are working.

Your hearing surveillance programme will include:

baseline monitoring

annual for two years
three yearly thereafter unless advised otherwise

This will help you to understand whether a new employee has lower hearing than normal when they start and in the first two years will help you understand whether the control measures are working for that employee.

Respiratory Surveillance

Breathing in certain gases, dusts, vapours and fumes can cause lung disease including occupational asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

An occupational hygienist report can help you to understand your residual risk and health surveillance is required where there is residual risk despite your control measures.

Respiratory surveillance is your early warning system. Identifying early symptoms of a possible allergic response will give you time to review your control measures, educate and monitor compliance.

A typical programme for fabricators and welders will comprise:

Baseline monitoring - to help you understand and manage underlying or pre-existing lung conditions

Repeat spirometry at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months - to confirm that your control measures are working
Annual assessment thereafter with recommendations to help you manage underlying or emerging symptoms

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVs) Surveillance

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome can cause circulatory or tingling / numbness problems with the fingers and hands.

Employers need to provide surveillance where exposure is known to be higher than the first action level of 2.5 m/s2 (lower if the individual has a known problem like Raynaud’s phenomenon) or if there is a known diagnosis of HAVs.

HAVs surveillance will comprise an initial assessment to identify any underlying disorders that may increase a person’s vulnerability to HAVs. Annual assessments thereafter (Tier 2) will usually take around 15 minutes.

Tier 3 assessments, if symptoms are identified will normally take around an hour, and will decide on next steps which may be referral to a GP or an OHP.

Workplace PPE for occupational health and health surveillance

Protect your people, strengthen your business

Get in touch to discuss a health surveillance programme tailored to your workplace