EMPLOYEE HEALTH ASSESSMENTS
Occupational Health Assessments are fundamental to an effective Occupational Health Service. Health assessments assist with the:
- Identification and documentation of pre-existing exposures to establish a baseline
- Early detection of workplace exposure symptoms or other conditions among employees
- Further investigation of symptoms and, if necessary, remediation and interventions that are specific to the affected individuals
- Assessment and tracking of symptom complaints, physical findings, and laboratory values to determine whether there is a deviation from the expected norm or a change in an employee’s health status
- Identification of employees who may be at an increased health risk due to personal risk factors
- Monitoring of workplace exposures and work-related health risks in individuals, as well as trends across employee populations
Medical Surveillance Program
The Safe-Tee Management Medical Surveillance Program helps employers provide healthy, safe and productive workplaces for their employees while ensuring total compliance with all health and safety regulations. Our program also enables you to improve your work environment proactively, before health and safety issues even materialize.
Through educating people about important health risks and helping them to manage their health effectively, your workforce will become less vulnerable to illness, both in the long and short term.
Individuals with good health status are on average 20 percent more effective than those in poor health, and about 30 percent of employees could be described as being in poor health, suffering for example from stress, lack of sleep, low fitness levels and bad diet*.
Features
- Identification and documentation of pre-existing exposures to establish a baseline
- Early detection of workplace exposure symptoms or other conditions among employees
- Further investigation of symptoms and, if necessary, remediation and interventions that are specific to the affected individuals
- Assessment and tracking of symptom complaints, physical findings, and laboratory values to determine whether there is a deviation from the expected norm or a change in an employee’s health status
- Identification of employees who may be at an increased health risk due to personal risk factors
- Expert feedback on engineering and other hygiene control strategies, especially when certain toxic substances cannot be eliminated from use
- Monitoring of workplace exposures and work-related health risks in individuals, as well as trends across employee populations
Examinations
Our program encompasses all necessary examinations, including:
- Pre-placement, baseline and periodic examinations
- Exit examinations (termination of employment and termination of exposure)
- Fitness and risk determination examinations
- Employee health promotion examinations, and
- Regulatory compliance examinations.
The exam process includes:
- Documentation of all examination results and records maintenance in accordance with applicable regulations
- Confidential communication and counseling for employees regarding their examination results and identified health risks
Our experienced and highly trained occupational health practitioners determine examination content and protocols that account for:
- Specific job tasks and requirements
- Workplace risk factors (exposures)
- Physical, chemical, biological and other agents
- Personal risk factors (employee medical status)
- Target organ systems and potential health risks
- Potential public health and safety impact
- Legal and regulatory requirements, and
- Employee health and wellness programs
Customer Benefits
The Safe-Tee Management Medical Surveillance Program gives you all of the information and risk management tools you need to achieve increased employee health and regulatory compliance as well as:
- Greater piece of mind among workers who see that the employer cares about their health, safety and well-being
- Reduced adverse health effects in exposed individuals
- Total compliance with applicable regulations and industry standards
- Enhanced worker productivity, attendance and retention
- Increased potential for personal protective intervention and engineering changes
- Fewer recordable incidents and related healthcare costs
- Fewer and less costly disability claims
Occupational health assessments include:
Pre-placement examinations that help take the guesswork out of hiring, reduce injuries down the road, and save employers money. Pre-placement exams can take many different forms, depending on your needs, such as functional work testing, pulmonary function testing, drug testing or hazardous materials exposure surveillance and evaluation. They help ensure high productivity by confirming that your workers are ready for the job. They can also reduce your liability by establishing baseline data for your new hires that can be compared to later examinations to determine what changes, if any, have occurred in the conditions of your workers to determine fitness of employee for a specific job
Periodic - monitor employee health in relation to hazard exposure
Legislated - noise, dust, asbestos, silica exposure
Pre-retirement - as a comparison value for possible future WCB claims
Termination - as a comparison value
Request by supervisor - following performance concerns
Other - such as executive health assessments.
An Occupational Health Nurse performs health assessments with referral to the workers Physician as required.
Safe-Tee Management provides all of the necessary forms to complete the process. Abnormal findings are discussed with the employee on the spot and the employee is counselled. The employee will then be referred to his or her own personal health care provider for follow-up. The Registered Nurse tracks and monitors all follow-ups to ensure they are complete. The Registered Nurse will liaise with the workers health care provider and advise the employer if any work place modifications are required. We will assist the employer through this process to ensure that it goes smoothly and that the employee and employer are comfortable.
Type of Tests
- Each employee will be given a screening Blood Pressure check (MANDATORY).
- The spirometer will have its calibration verified at the beginning of each session and at least every four hours during the testing session using the ATS recommended procedure.
- Each employee will perform a Forced Vital Capacity (fvc) pulmonary function test. All employees will be required to perform a minimum of three manoeuvres that do not exceed fvc variable of 5% as required by NIOSH.
Forms
A pre-screening medical questionnaire will be filled out by the Certified Occupational Pulmonary Technologist.
Reports
A management report is furnished that lists employee name, category and date of test. Percentage reports are also included.
Follow-Up
All abnormal Spirometry tests are reviewed by the Registered Nurse. Employees who tested abnormal are referred to their family physician for further follow-up. The employee is given a package that includes a copy of their Spirometry test and a letter of referral from the Registered Nurse. The referral letter is a formal medical practice and ensures that the Registered Nurse will be informed of the diagnosis and any work restrictions that may ensue. This in turn will allow the Registered Nurse to assist the employer in developing a plan to accommodate the worker.
Respirator Fit Testing
Respirators are indispensable tools in protecting workers from airborne contaminants that can damage lung tissue, irritate the respiratory tract or be absorbed into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body.
Safe-Tee Management provides cost effective on-site Respirator Fit Testing, using both the qualitative and quantitative test protocols, as required for compliance with CSA standard. Our trained and experienced technicians are able to work in a variety of settings and work locations.
Respirator use is governed by regulations and standards that mandate fit testing to identify the appropriate respirator after medical clearance is obtained. Our respirator fit testing program ensures that workers know proper procedures for donning and cleaning their respirators, performing user seal checks, and qualitatively fit testing their respirators.
The test results are immediate and unambiguous.
The following is an outline of Safe-Tee Management’s standard fit testing services. These reports and services can be modified as long as all regulations are met.
Frequency of test
The CSA standard recommends annual fit testing for all employees using respirators. Fit testing is also required when equipment changes or when a worker gains or loses a significant amount of weight.
Type of test
All fit tests will be in accordance with CSA Standard for fit testing.
Forms
The CSA medical evaluation questionnaire and respirator use questionnaire will be filled out by the employee and reviewed by the Registered Nurse to ensure that there are no health impediments to respirator use.
Reports
A management report is furnished that will show the date of test, respirator manufacturer, model, size, material, qualitative fit factor, and id number of each employee.
A record card is provided for each employee who is respirator qualified. This card will indicate the employee name, id number, respirator manufacturer, model, size, and date of test.
Employees who do not pass the health questionnaire review will be referred to their family physician for medical clearance to wear a respirator. The Registered Nurse will provide the employee with the required letter to the physician and will follow up with the employee to ensure that they are medically cleared
Hearing Services