Medical Surveillance
Medical surveillance watches over worker health across a career of potential exposures. This chapter explains baseline and periodic exams, exposure monitoring, recordkeeping, and the fitness-for-duty judgment that keeps workers safe on demanding jobs.
Baseline and Periodic Exams
A baseline medical examination documents a worker's health before hazardous waste work begins, creating a reference point for the future. Periodic exams then repeat over time so that changes possibly related to work exposure can be spotted early. Comparing later results against the baseline is what makes subtle trends visible. Exams also confirm that a worker can safely wear demanding PPE such as a respirator.
Exposure Monitoring and Early Detection
Medical surveillance pairs health exams with exposure monitoring so the program can catch early, often reversible signs of harm before they become serious. Trends across several exams are more informative than any single test result. When monitoring suggests a problem, a worker can be removed from exposure and further protected. This early-detection focus is the core purpose of surveillance rather than simply reacting to illness.
Recordkeeping and Fitness for Duty
Medical and exposure records are kept for long periods because some health effects appear only years after exposure, and the records support later comparison and legal protection. A fitness-for-duty determination asks whether a worker can safely perform physically demanding tasks, including the added strain of wearing respirators and impermeable suits in heat. The examining physician weighs the exam against the job's real demands. These steps protect both the individual and the coworkers who depend on them.