Health checks
Health checks must be performed on employees and students if they are exposed to health risks.
Main content
Responsibility - health checks
Responsibilities
The line manager must ensure that the above employees and students receive appropriate health checks. The line manager is also responsible for notifying the Occupational Health Service before employees / students begin work that entails health risks.
The occupational health service prepares and maintains a list of the relevant employees / students and the extent to which health checks have been carried out. The occupational health service is also responsible for convening a health check.
When is a targeted health examination relevant?
You have the right to a targeted health examination if a risk assessment shows that you may be exposed to one or more of the factors in the list below. In addition, additional follow-up may be needed if an unwanted incident has occurred. The employer must ensure that employees and students are informed of necessary targeted health examinations.
Factors that trigger the right to a targeted health examination
Asbestos fibers and asbestos dust
Employees and students who may be or have been exposed to asbestos fiber / asbestos dust must undergo a health examination.
Employees and students, working for UiB, shall be offered a health check if they may be or have been exposed to dust with asbestos fiber.The health check must be conducted before employees and students are put to work and then at least every 3 years.
Health checks for work involving noise
Employees who are exposed to noise that exceeds LEX, 8h = 80 dB or LpC, peak = 130 dB must undergo a health examination with hearing control.
The use of hearing protection does not exempt from such control.
Radiation (ionizing radiation, artificial optical radiation and electromagnetic fields)
A health examination must be carried out if you can exceed given limit values for exposure, or if a risk assessment shows that the work may entail health risks. Targeted health examinations must be carried out before such work is initiated.
Work with ionizing radiation can trigger requirements for registration in the exposure register.
Lead and lead compounds
Employees and students must be offered a health check before they are put to work with lead or lead compounds.
The health check includes, among other things, measuring the lead content in the blood. The measurement must be repeated every 3 months. After 3 measurements, the further frequency of health check will depend on the result of the measurement.
Hazardous chemicals and gases
These are chemicals that can be dangerous for safety and health. Examples of this are carcinogenic, hereditary, toxic or corrosive, nanomaterials and lead / lead compounds. In addition, there is hazardous dust, such as wood dust, dust from animals, metal dust, smoke, dust from stone, sand, dry mortar and concrete. A health examination may be relevant for anyone who manufactures, packages and handles waste from hazardous chemicals, or cleans equipment and handles spills from hazardous chemicals.
Work with carcinogenic or mutagenic chemicals, lead / lead compounds and wood dust can trigger requirements for registration in the exposure register.Employees and students who are exposed to hazardous chemicals in such a way that it can cause health damage must be offered health checks.The health check must be performed before the employee or student begins work on hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, the frequency of health checks is assessed by a company doctor.
Biological factors
This is living or dead biological material (such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, cell cultures, viruses, prions, toxins and allergens) that can cause harmful effects (such as infections, allergies or toxic effects) to humans or the environment (such as animals or plants). Biological factors may occur naturally or be genetically modified. Health examinations are relevant for employees and students who work with human material, in experimental animal wards, with wastewater or stay in rooms where work with biological factors takes place.
Work with biological factors can trigger requirements for registration in the exposure register.If a risk assessment shows that employees and students may be exposed to biological factors in such a way that more than usual hygienic protective measures are necessary, the employee must have a suitable health examination.The health examination must be performed before the employee can be exposed to biological factors, and then at regular intervals.The employer must ensure that employees are offered safe and effective vaccination against biological factors to which they may be exposed, where such a vaccine is available. The employer must cover the costs of the vaccination.
Health checks for work involving mining
This applies to work such as quarrying of rocks, crushing of rocks, etc. If a risk assessment shows that the employees are exposed to gas or dust that can lead to harmful conditions, they must undergo a health examination.If the risk assessment shows that the employees are exposed to gas or dust that may pose a risk of bovine lung disease or other harmful conditions, the employees must undergo a health examination adapted to the risk to which they are exposed.The health examination must be performed before the employee can be exposed to such work. Thereafter, the examination must be carried out regularly, and at least every five years. The content and frequency of the examination are decided by the doctor.
Work with fur-bearing laboratory animals
Anyone working with experimental animals can potentially develop allergies with symptoms from the eyes, nose and skin. If the exposure continues after allergies have occurred, asthma may also develop. It is therefore very important for future lung function that the exposure ceases.
Definition
Working with laboratory animals means that you work with fur-bearing laboratory animals yourself, or that you stay in rooms where laboratory animals are used.Handling of small pieces of tissue and blood from experimental animals is not perceived as work with experimental animals unless one is regularly exposed to skin contact or allergens in the air.Work or stay in rooms with experimental animals must also occur more than 40 hours in total per. year or more than 1 hour per. week.
Health examination and vaccine
Employees and students who are to work with experimental animals, or stay in rooms where experimental animals are being worked on, must attend a health examination before the work starts. Contact the Occupational Health Service. Fill in and include the form "Information form for the first time health check" for the health examination and / or the form for the vaccine. You can find the forms as links at the bottom of the page.
Prevent allergies
Allergies develop especially to proteins in the animals' urine, skin, saliva and fur. Working with unclean litter is a major source of allergen exposure. There may also be a risk of allergy to substances that the animals receive, such as medicines.The risk of developing health damage when working with experimental animals is considerably reduced if you follow the routines and instructions prepared for the Animal Department for the facilitation of work, good hygiene, use of work clothes, gloves and other personal protective equipment.
Employees and students who work with fur animals (mice and rats) have an increased risk of developing allergies. Allergies most often develop during the first 1-2 years of working with animals.Employees and students who will be working with experimental animals, or staying in rooms where work with experimental animals is carried out, must therefore attend a health examination before the work starts.After this, the occupational health service will call in for a follow-up interview with a company doctor/company nurse, spirometry and allergy tests after six months, one year and two years.Further follow-up if the employee/student develops allergy symptoms (itchy skin and rash, breathing difficulties, cough and wheezing, sneezing and runny nose, itchy and runny eyes, red eyes).
Animal bites
Animal bites often cause wounds and damage to tissues, and can pose a risk of infection. Infection can occur up to a week after the bite. Bites from experimental animals are most often localized to the hands.
How to treat bites:
Clean the wound with wound cleanser or soap and water. Clean well with physiological saline.
If the tissue damage is great, you should contact a doctor who examines if there is damage to the underlying tissue such as muscles, tendons and nerves. The doctor also assesses whether there is a need for surgical treatment.
If it is more than five years since the last tetanus vaccine (tetanus vaccine) or the person who was bitten has not been fully vaccinated, a vaccine may be needed.
Unless the damage is particularly great, preventive antibiotic treatment is not recommended.
Contact a doctor if there are signs of fever, general malaise or local infection (redness, tenderness, swelling around the wound) during the first week after the bite.
Health interview before travelling to areas with high risk
Field work, cruises and group travel can lead to an increased risk of injury or illness to people.
Information about risk
Potential risk factors during fieldwork and cruises must therefore be mapped and risk assessed before departure. The same is recommended for other group travels. If the risk assessment shows an increased risk of illness or injury, UiB offers a consultation with occupational healthcare staff before departure.
Consultation with the occupational health service
- Need for vaccination
- Need for health certificate (sailor certificate, offshore certificate, diving certificate)
- Status of own health before fieldwork (assessment of the participant's overall health picture, physically and mentally, where demanding conditions can be expected)
- Illness and allergies
- Proximity and quality of local health care
Health care for foreign citizens working or studying at UiB
Healt care services at UiB
For UiB employees there are some health care services available, such as vaccination for the hepatitis A and B virus and tetanus, and a health control programme for those who work with fur animals.
If health care issues are work related, the Occupational Health Service can be contacted for a consultation. For all other health care issues, the public health service must be used (see below).
Public health service
"Strandsiden legesenter" are offering emergency medical treatment to:
- Foreign employees (and their families) and students at UiB who do not have a GP.
- Students who do not have a GP in Bergen.
