Employees Health provides workplace health monitoring and surveillance for workers who may be exposed to hazardous substances and chemicals. Our programs can be delivered onsite across Australia or through our dedicated clinics, with monitoring tailored to the substance, exposure risk and applicable workplace requirements.
Workers may be exposed to hazardous substances across a wide range of industries and occupations. Depending on the substance and level of exposure, health monitoring may form part of a workplace’s occupational health program.
Employees Health provides health surveillance and monitoring services designed around the specific hazards present in the workplace.
Our team can assist employers with coordinating appropriate medical assessments and health monitoring for workers exposed to hazardous substances, with services available nationally.
Workers may be exposed to hazardous substances across a wide range of industries and occupations. Depending on the substance and level of exposure, health monitoring may form part of a workplace’s occupational health program.
Employees Health provides health surveillance and monitoring services designed around the specific hazards present in the workplace.
Our team can assist employers with coordinating appropriate medical assessments and health monitoring for workers exposed to hazardous substances, with services available nationally.
Under the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must provide health monitoring for a worker who is carrying out ongoing work using, handling, generating or storing a hazardous chemical, where there is a significant risk to the worker’s health from exposure. Schedule 14 of the Regulations lists the hazardous chemicals for which health monitoring is specifically required, and sets out the type of monitoring for each one.
Health monitoring may also be needed for hazardous chemicals that are not listed in Schedule 14, where exposure creates a significant risk to health and valid ways of detecting an effect on health are available. Safe Work Australia publishes guidance with examples of these chemicals and suitable tests.
The chemicals listed in Schedule 14 (Table 14.1) are:
Lead and asbestos are also hazardous chemicals, but their health monitoring requirements sit in separate parts of the Regulations (lead risk work and asbestos work respectively).
Safe Work Australia’s guidance gives examples of chemicals outside Schedule 14 for which health monitoring may be appropriate. These include beryllium, nickel, cobalt, fluorides, styrene, toluene, xylene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloromethane. Whether monitoring is needed depends on the workplace risk assessment and the level and pattern of exposure.
Employees Health has dedicated information for many of the exposures our doctors monitor. Choose the relevant page for more detail on the hazard, the health effects and what the monitoring involves:
For a plain-English overview of when monitoring is required for lead, silica, asbestos and other hazardous chemicals, see our guide to health monitoring requirements in Australia.
Health monitoring is tailored to the hazardous substance and the circumstances of the worker’s exposure.
Depending on the monitoring program, an assessment may involve a review of occupational and medical history, clinical assessment and other investigations relevant to the substance and exposure.
The appropriate monitoring process should be determined according to the specific workplace circumstances and applicable requirements.
Employees Health can assist employers in coordinating the relevant health monitoring services for their workforce.
There is not a single health monitoring program that applies to every hazardous substance or workplace.
The appropriate approach depends on the substance involved, the potential exposure, the work being performed and the requirements applicable to the workplace.
Employees Health can help employers identify the appropriate service pathway and coordinate health monitoring for their workers.
For specific requirements relating to a particular hazardous substance, see our individual exposure pages or contact our team.
Employees Health provides occupational health services for individuals and workplaces across Australia, including onsite health surveillance services.
For workplace programs, onsite assessments can be coordinated around the needs of the workforce and the organisation.
Our team can assist with scheduling and coordinating health monitoring services for workplaces with employees who may be exposed to hazardous substances.
Employees Health can help employers coordinate the health monitoring process for their workforce.
Depending on the monitoring program, this may include:
The specific services and documentation provided will depend on the health monitoring program and the circumstances of the workplace.
Health monitoring can form part of a broader workplace health and risk-management program where workers may be exposed to hazardous substances.
It is one component of managing occupational exposure and should sit alongside appropriate workplace controls and risk-management measures.
Employees Health can assist employers with the health monitoring component of their occupational health program and coordinate services for workers where appropriate.
Examples include crystalline silica dust, asbestos, lead, solvents such as toluene and xylene, isocyanates in paints and foams, welding fume, diesel exhaust, pesticides and metals such as chromium, cadmium and nickel. A substance’s label and Safety Data Sheet show whether it is classified as hazardous.
Schedule 14 of the model WHS Regulations lists chemicals that require health monitoring where there is a significant risk to health, including acrylonitrile, arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, creosote, crystalline silica, isocyanates, mercury, MOCA, organophosphate pesticides, pentachlorophenol, PAHs, thallium and vinyl chloride. Lead and asbestos have their own requirements.
No. Health monitoring is required when ongoing work creates a significant risk of exposure to a Schedule 14 chemical, or to another chemical where valid tests are available. A risk assessment, sometimes supported by air monitoring, helps decide which workers need it.
It must be carried out by or under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner with experience in health monitoring, and the employer must consult workers about the choice of doctor. The employer pays all costs and must give each worker a copy of their report.
The employer receives a health monitoring report for each worker, which includes any test results showing exposure, advice on whether the worker may have been harmed by the work and any recommended remedial measures. Employees Health also provides summary reporting to help you review controls across your workforce.
Employees Health can help coordinate occupational health and health monitoring services for workers who may be exposed to hazardous substances.
Tell us about your workplace, the substances involved and your workforce requirements, and our team can help you identify the appropriate service pathway.
