Page 162 - IGC BOOK

Health Surveillance

Health surveillance to the workers exposed to radiation must be carried out by the employer.
The main purpose of health surveillance is to detection and early prevention and treatment of
any adverse effects caused by exposure.

Circumstances which may require a health surveillance to be carried out are:

• Pre-assessment of the health status of the worker before starting work with radiation.
• Periodic review (e.g. quarterly) to ensure that there is no health impact to the workers while
working with radiation.
• When set dose limit is exceeded by the worker.

• After recognising classified worker.

The following examination may be carried during health surveillance:

Skin checks – to identify potential eczema or psoriasis, this should be examined periodically

• Respiratory checks – fitness to wear respiratory protection devices, examinations should
involve checks of the integrity of lung function.
• Exposure records – to check employee’s exposure records to determine if dose limits have
been exceeded.
• Reference to sickness records – examination of the employee’s general health history.

ENSIGN | Unit IG2 – Element 5 – Physical and Psychological 22
Health