What is health monitoring?
Health monitoring is provided by a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) for a worker. It involves using medical tests to monitor and protect a worker’s health because of exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Health monitoring is not an alternative to implementing effective control measures according to the hierarchy of controls. Health monitoring provides information to the PCBU about the control measures that are used at the workplace. It lets the PCBU know if control measures are not effective or if a worker’s health is being affected by exposure to hazardous chemicals, so that action can be taken.
Health monitoring is carried out by or supervised by a registered medical practitioner (a doctor) with experience in health monitoring.
Hazardous chemicals that need health monitoring
For hazardous chemicals, a PCBU must provide health monitoring to workers if there is a significant risk:
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to worker’s health because of exposure to a hazardous chemical listed in table 14.1 of Schedule 14, or
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of exposure to another hazardous chemical (not listed in Schedule 14) and there are suitable testing methods available such as cyclophosphamide, ethyl benzene and nickel.
Lead and asbestos have different health monitoring requirements.
See the full list of Health monitoring guides