Supervision of the health of workers

• Pages: 30-31

10. Supervision of the health of workers

10.1. General

10.1.1. Workers whose jobs involve exposure to asbestos dust should be

provided with health supervision.1

10.1.2. This supervision is designed for the individual and collective benefit of

workers.

10.1.3. Workers submitting themselves to supervision of their health should

have the following rights:

(a) confidentiality of personal and medical information;

(b) full and detailed explanations of the purposes and results of the supervision;

(c) the right to refuse invasive medical procedures which infringe the integrity of

their bodies.

10.1.4. A medical examination of the worker potentially exposed to asbestos

dust should take place upon recruitment or prior to assignment to a place of work

involving exposure to asbestos dust.

10.1.5. Supervision of health should be provided at no expense to the exposed

worker, and medical examinations should, so far as is practicable, be conducted during

working hours.

10.1.6. Results of medical examinations should not be used to discriminate

unfairly against the worker or prospective employee.

10.1.7. Health supervision should also include:

(a) advice to and care of individual workers;

(b) health education;

(c) identification of workers requiring workers' compensation;

(d) statistics of occupational disease;

(e) research.

10.2. Organisation

10.2.1. Workers' health supervision should include:

(a) pre-assignment medical examinations;

(b) periodic medical examinations;

(c) medical examination on, and where practicable following, cessation of

employment.

10.2.2. The objectives of the pre-assignment medical examination should be:

(a) to determine any condition which would be a contraindication to occupational

exposure to asbestos dust;

1 Recommendations concerning medical examinations are given in Appendix D.

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