Non-emergency Treatment

A Medical Surveillance Program is not just for emergency treatment: it also extends to off-site medical care for treatment of job-related and non-job-related injuries, symptoms, and illnesses.

Employers play an important role in employees' medical care for both of these scenarios. For job-related symptoms or illnesses, employers must ensure that employees are evaluated "in the context of the worker's exposure." Medical personnel must also "investigate and treat" all "non-job-related illnesses that may put the worker at risk because of task requirements." This can include, for example, a cold that might impede a worker's ability to properly breathe through a respirator.

Remember that a copy of the worker's medical records must remain on site and must be stored with both security and confidentiality in mind. When appropriate, a nearby hospital should also have this information. Attending physicians should have access to these records.

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