CHAPTER III

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Health surveillance
Article 14
1
The Member States shall establish, in accordance with national laws and practice, arrangements for carrying out relevant health surveillance of workers for whom the results of the assessment referred to in Article 3 reveal a risk to health or safety.
2
The arrangements referred to in paragraph 1 shall be such that each worker shall be able to undergo, if appropriate, relevant health surveillance:
a
prior to exposure;
b
at regular intervals thereafter.
Those arrangements shall be such that it is directly possible to implement individual and occupational hygiene measures.
3
The assessment referred to in Article 3 should identify those workers for whom special protective measures may be required.
When necessary, effective vaccines should be made available for those workers who are not already immune to the biological agent to which they are exposed or are likely to be exposed.
When employers make vaccines available, they should take account of the recommended code of practice set out in Annex VII.
If a worker is found to be suffering from an infection and/or illness which is suspected to be the result of exposure, the doctor or authority responsible for health surveillance of workers shall offer such surveillance to other workers who have been similarly exposed.
In that event, a reassessment of the risk of exposure shall be carried out in accordance with Article 3.
4
In cases where health surveillance is carried out, an individual medical record shall be kept for at least 10 years following the end of exposure, in accordance with national laws and practice.
In the special cases referred to in Article 11(2) second subparagraph, an individual medical record shall be kept for an appropriately longer time up to 40 years following the last known exposure.
5
The doctor or authority responsible for health surveillance shall propose any protective or preventive measures to be taken in respect of any individual worker.
6
Information and advice must be given to workers regarding any health surveillance which they may undergo following the end of exposure.
7
In accordance with national laws and/or practice:
a
workers shall have access to the results of the health surveillance which concern them, and
b
the workers concerned or the employer may request a review of the results of the health surveillance.
8
Practical recommendations for the health surveillance of workers are given in Annex IV.
9
All cases of diseases or death identified in accordance with national laws and/or practice as resulting from occupational exposure to biological agents shall be notified to the competent authority.