HEALTH SURVEILLANCE

You are required to provide health surveillance for all employees who, despite your efforts to control risks, are likely to be regularly exposed above the Exposure Action Value or are otherwise at risk.

 

The purpose of health surveillance is to:

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• Identify individuals exposed or about to be exposed to hand-arm vibration who may be at particular risk, such as those with blood circulatory conditions like Raynaud’s Disease. 

• Detect vibration-related illnesses at an early stage in employees regularly exposed to hand-arm vibration.  

• Help prevent the progression of disease and potential disability.  

• Support employees in remaining in work.  

• Evaluate the effectiveness of your vibration control measures.  

 

Before implementing health surveillance, consult with your trade union safety representative, employee representative, and the affected employees. It is crucial that employees understand the goal of health surveillance is to protect their health and prevent advanced symptoms, enabling them to continue working. Their understanding and cooperation are essential for the success of the programme.  

 

How can I arrange health surveillance?

  
Basic health surveillance involves regularly collecting information about early symptoms of ill health using a questionnaire. You may reduce costs by conducting this step internally and referring any positive responses to an occupational health service provider.  

Alternatively, you can engage an occupational health service provider to manage the entire process. You can find providers through your trade association, local directories, the internet, or your nearest HSE office.  

 

What should I expect from an occupational health service provider?

A qualified occupational health service provider will have training and experience in hand-arm vibration health surveillance. They should be able to:  ​

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• Advise on a suitable health surveillance programme for your employees.  

• Set up and manage the programme.  

• Provide training and supervision for your staff if they assist with basic health surveillance.  

• Employ qualified and experienced professionals for advanced health surveillance.  

• Provide reports on employees' fitness to continue working with vibration exposure.  

 

What do I need to do with the results of health surveillance?

 
You must:  

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• Maintain records of health surveillance and fitness-for-work advice for each employee (excluding confidential medical records, which are kept by the doctor). Health and safety inspectors may request these records to ensure compliance with regulations.  

• Make employees’ records available to them.  

• Act on any recommendations from the doctor regarding employees’ continued exposure to vibration.  

• Use the results to review and, if necessary, update your risk assessment and control measures.  

• Discuss any changes to your risk assessment with your trade union safety representative or employee representative.  

• Notify the relevant enforcing authority if a doctor confirms an employee in listed occupations has Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome, as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). For more information on RIDDOR, refer to HSE's leaflet HSE31.