Frequency of Medical Exams

Employees must undergo evaluations before employment to ensure that the employee is healthy enough to handle expected job tasks. This provides a baseline of data that doctors and employers can use to track potential changes due to the work environment.

Workers must have ongoing medical and after-incidents examinations. Ongoing examinations should occur at least once every 12 months (unless a physician approves a longer interval).

After an incident, medical surveillance should occur as soon as possible:

• Upon notification that the employee has developed signs or symptoms indicating possible overexposure to hazardous substances or health hazards
• Upon notification that the employee has been injured or exposed above the PELs or published exposure levels in an emergency situation
• Following the emergency incident or development of signs or symptoms
• If an employee may have been injured, received a health impairment, or developed signs or symptoms which may have resulted from exposure to hazardous substances resulting from an emergency incident
• If an employee is exposed during an emergency incident to hazardous substances at concentrations above the PELs (or the published exposure levels without the necessary PPE being used)

Medical surveillance should also occur upon employment termination or reassignment to an area where the employee would not be covered if the employee has not had an examination within the last six months.

Note that these are minimum requirements. OSHA states that examinations may occur more frequently if deemed medically necessary.

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