Health Surveillance Program. Staywell » Blog » Health surveillance: Why you can’t afford to ignore it One of the most common questions that we get is “what is health surveillance, and do I need to do it?” Health surveillance is a term that is used to describe a system of regular health checks that detect the early signs of work-related ill health among employees exposed to certain health risks.
UK HSE law requires workplace health surveillance when it comes to exposure to physical hazards, including (but not limited to): asbestos; loud noise and/or vibration; ionising radiation; solvents and fumes. That said, the main frustrations for organisations establishing a health and safety system, particularly for the owners of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) tends to be cost; time restrictions and lack of skill or knowledge.
Many SMEs haven’t yet implemented a health surveillance programme for these reasons. To any SME owner or sole trader we ask the following question: Health – just as important as Safety?