How Often Should We Conduct Medical Surveillance for Employees Exposed to Hazards?

Dear Experts,

We have a workforce that is exposed to chemicals and some physical hazards. We conduct medical examinations for each employee at the time of joining. My query is, "Is there a specific frequency for Medical Surveillance for Employees? Are there any legal aspects related to this?"

Please also specify the types of medical tests that should be conducted for employees who are exposed to hazardous chemicals.

Please enlighten me on this.

Regards,
I. Khan

It's normally monthly or quarterly that the medical tests are repeated. Check with the Factories Act or with your Factory Doctor.

It depends on the state you are in. Check the Factories Act for your state.

In general, all workers in hazardous processes are required to be medically examined every 6 months. The examination must be conducted by a civil surgeon or a doctor approved for this purpose by the Chief Inspector of Factories. The medical records must also be made available to the workers.

Like other members mentioned, please refer to the Factories Act of your State for the periodicity of the tests. As far as "what type of medical tests to be conducted" goes, while your factory doctor should be able to assist you (though I am not so confident in the knowledge levels in this area of general physicians/doctors), in general, the types of tests depend on the chemicals the employees/workers are normally exposed to while working. For example, in any asbestos-related factory, the focus will be on respiratory tests. I am sure you can also google and find the broad-level inputs you can begin to work with.

Regards,
TS