Surveillance of workers' health

Pages29-30
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8. Surveillance of workers’ health
8.1. General principles
8.1.1. Health surveillance programmes for workers exposed to insulation wools
should be consistent with:
(i) the aims of occupational health as defined by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on
Occupational Health at its 12th Session, 1995;
(ii) the requirements of the Occupational Health Services Convention (No. 161) and
Recommendation (No. 171), 1985; and
(iii) the Technical and Ethical Guidelines for Workers ‘Health Surveillance1 adopted
by the ILO in 1997.
8.1.2. The establishment of workers’ health surveillance programmes should be
based on sound scientific and technical knowledge and in accordance with the
requirements of the competent authority. A linkage should be established between the
surveillance of workers’ health and the surveillance of occupational hazards, including
insulation wools, present at the workplace.
8.1.3. The surveillance of workers’ health should be appropriate to the
occupational risks at the workplace. The assessment of the level and type of
surveillance appropriate to workers’ potential exposure to fibres and dusts from
insulation wools should be based on a thorough investigation of all work-related factors
which may affect workers’ health.
8.1.4. The design and implementation of workers’ health surveillance
programmes should be carried out in consultation with workers and their
representatives.
8.2. Medical examinations
8.2.1. As medical examinations are the most common means of health
assessment for individual workers, it is clear that they should not be carried out as a
perfunctory routine. If the provisions of this code are followed, the health surveillance
of workers exposed to insulation wools should not call for medical examinations in
addition to those required for general occupational health purposes such as lung
function tests for workers wearing respirators.
8.2.2. Workers should have the right to request a health assessment (i.e. a
medical examination or other tests, as appropriate) if a disorder occurs which they
believe to be due or related to work with insulation wools. Employers may request a
medical examination for workers in their employment, but there should be justification
1 Published as Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 72 (Geneva, ILO, 1998).

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