Definition - What does Medical Surveillance mean?

In the context of occupational health and safety, medical surveillance is a structured evaluation of employees that may have been exposed to health hazards within the scope of their job duties. This medical surveillance assessment in intended to identify any adverse health conditions due exposure to hazardous materials and situations, and will also help an employer to evaluation whether or not their current exposure prevention programs are sufficient.

SureHire explains Medical Surveillance

A comprehensive medical surveillance program should look at both individual data and pooled group data over a specific time period. The goal of these surveillance programs are to monitor employee health for the purpose of reducing and preventing illnesses and injuries within a specific worksite or job duty. The fundamental purpose of medical surveillance is to determine and eliminate the underlying causes for health hazards or exposures. The medical surveillance will look for problems that can occur in a determined workplace without preventative measures. In this role, surveillance also serves as a feedback to the employer.

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