Workplace health surveillance

'Workplace Health Surveillance'

Introduction

The concept of health surveillance is new to occupational health and is frequently confused with medical screening. However, the terms are being used interchangeably by many but there are a few basic differences in both. The occupational medical screening is an important part and parcel of workplace health surveillance. In common terms the health screening means the early detection and treatment of the occupational disease while the workplace health surveillance refers to the removal of the causative factors. NIOSH defines workplace health surveillance as “Occupational health surveillance can be viewed as the tracking of occupational injuries, illnesses, hazards, and exposures”1 The health information is thus collected and is very helpful in assessing the workplace hazards and evaluation of current policies and preventive measures. The workplace health surveillance can be done for individuals and a group of workers. The Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health at its 12th Session in 1995 defines Occupational health surveillance system as “a system which includes a functional capacity for data collection, analysis and dissemination linked to occupational health programmes”2.

Indicators of workplace health surveillance

The workgroup constituted by CDC and NIOSH defined the three indicators3 of workplace health surveillance programme. 1. Availability of easily obtainable statewide data 2. Public health importance of the occupational health effect or exposure to be measured 3. Potential for intervention activities These indicators are useful in assessing the ongoing policies and preventive measures but these indicators do have some limitations. Among the major limitations are the underreporting of occupational health disorders (very common in most of the undeveloped and developing countries), inability to diagnose the etiology by the occupational health care workers and availability of the data such as municipal death records.

Situation worldwide

Different countries have different rules and regulations regarding the workplace health surveillance. Where most of the developed countries have included this process for occupational health and safety of workers especially in hazardous processes, developing and undeveloped countries are yet to include this very important aspect of occupational health. However, it is obligatory on the employer to include medical screening for better production and cost reduction to his organization.

Tools of workplace health surveillance

The most important tools remain the biomonitoring which indicates the total body burden of a hazardous chemical in a worker by means of the laboratory investigations using biological specimen like urine, blood etc. the best practice is to use non invasive procedures as far as possible for this purpose. Other tools for workplace health surveillance include physical examinations and epidemiological cohort and case control studies. Confidentiality of information Most of the countries have specific regulations for such data and this information should be made available for the purpose of research, assessment and auditing of preventive measures. The worker should be informed while this information if ever shared with any third party. Worker should have a right to assess to this information whenever he wishes to.

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