medical monitoring

A system of requiring that employees receive medical examinations and that these results are reviewed by the company's health officers and safety officers to ensure that the employee is physically able to do the job and that the employees are not developing health issues. Medical monitoring can occur:

• routinely based on the work that employees do.
• in response to a specific workplace incident for a specific employee.
• as one-time events for special circumstances, such as a one-time flu shot for a particular strain of flu.

Medical monitoring is important for:

• Evaluating the health status employees, and determining if they can continue to perform the job in a safe and effective manner.
• Detecting exposure-related adverse health effects at an early stage so that occupational diseases can be prevented.
• Identifying unrecognized effects of exposure by continually evaluating group employee health data to detect possible adverse health trends.
• Implementing and managing associated work restrictions.
• When workplace accidents do occur, monitoring the employee's recovery and determining when they can safely return to their job.

For employees exposed to potentially harmful materials, medical monitoring may continue even after personnel leave the company.