Occupational Medical Surveillance and Evaluation Program (OMSEP)

Certain occupations require mandatory monitoring by federal statute, DOT regulations or Commandant instructions.  For instance, a person must be monitored if they are actively engaged for 30 or more days per calendar year as a resident inspector, pollution investigator, marine safety (general), port safety (general), vessel inspector or marine investigator, unless an industrial hygienist evaluation can show that there is no over exposure.

Also, a person is considered occupationally exposed (for medical monitoring purposes) if they are actively engaged in ANY Coast Guard occupation where an industrial hygiene evaluation has shown that exposure to chemical or physical hazards exceeds 50% of the Coast Guard exposure standard without regard to the use of respirators for 30 or more days per calendar year, or exceeds the Coast Guard radiation exposure limits.

The Coast Guard exposure standard for health hazardous chemicals and physical energies is either OSHA's permissible exposure limits (PEL) as published in 29 CFR 1910 or the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist's (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLVs), whichever is the more stringent.

Special programs have been created for lead, asbestos, benzene and noise exposures with specific criteria to be considered when evaluating for medical monitoring.  These criteria can be found in Chapter 12 of the Medical Manual COMDTINST 6000.1.

Determining who is monitored is the responsibility of the environmental health professionals.  OMSEP enrollments are based on exposure data gathered by industrial hygienists.  Data are either specific to individual exposures or can be historical in nature, which means that not every  exposure needs to be assessed but rather can be evaluated and compared to past similar assessments.   Occasionally environmental health professionals are approached by personnel desiring to be entered into the OMSEP program based on past exposures where no data or documentation exists in their health  records.  To be considered for enrollment under these circumstances the member must fill out a CG-5197 Occupational Health Surveillance Questionnaire which will be reviewed by the Health & Safety Environmental Health Branch along with all historical data available.   A decision to enroll will only be made when, according to published guidelines, there is sufficient evidence that an over exposure has occurred.

Units should ensure that enrolled personnel receive timely and complete OMSEP physical examinations.  Assigning an OMSEP coordinator to facilitate the examinations and ensure that all follow-up tests and administrative requirements are completed is the units best method of assuring their personnel stay up to date.