 |
Safety and Health Topics |
|
| Medical Screening and Surveillance |
|
|
|
 |
In
Focus |
 |
|
|
Medical screening and medical surveillance are two fundamental strategies for
optimizing employee health. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are
quite distinct concepts. Medical screening is, in essence, only one component of a
comprehensive medical surveillance program. The fundamental purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment of the individual
and thus has a clinical focus. The fundamental purpose of surveillance is to detect and eliminate the underlying causes
such as hazards or exposures of any discovered trends and thus has a prevention focus. Both can contribute significantly to the success of worksite health and
safety programs. However OSHA "medical surveillance" requirements are generally clinically focused (e.g.,medical and work histories, physical assessment,
biological testing) with information obtained from the clinical processes used in the monitoring and analysis elements of medical surveillance.
The following questions link
to information relevant to medical screening and surveillance in the workplace.
|
|
What OSHA standards
apply?
Standards | Directives | Standard Interpretations |
 |
What is screening and where can information about screening methods be found?
Clinical Evaluation | Related Literature |
 |
What is surveillance and how can it be used to prevent potential hazards?
|
 |
What additional information is available?
Related Safety and Health Topics Pages | Other Resources |
|
In Focus |
|
|
|
|
Back to Top
www.osha.gov
