Is there any possibility of them being exposure to the blood and urine? Do they wear gloves? The ACoP for COSHH sets new parameters: Paragraph 237, in particular, indicates where health surveillance is required. Examples where health surveillance is appropriate under the criteria in regulation 11(2)(b) are: - where there have been previous cases of work-related ill health in the workforce/place; - where there is reliance on PPE, eg gloves or respirators, as an exposure control measure; eg printers wearing gloves to protect against solvents used during press cleaning, or paint sprayers using two-pack paints wearing respirators to prevent asthma. Even with the closest supervision there is no guarantee that PPE will be effective at all times; - where there is evidence of ill health in jobs within the industry; eg frequent or prolonged contact with water (termed ‘wet-working’) causing dermatitis in hairdressers and healthcare workers, or breathing in mists from chrome plating baths causing chrome ulcers in platers. Paragraph 238 amplifies this: This is not a definitive or exhaustive list and there will be many other instances where health surveillance is required. Employers will need to seek information or advice on the specific health risks identified in the risk assessment, or through any topic-specific HSE guidance, trade associations or other professional sources. If you need more on this PM me. Chris

You need to look at exactly what the role involves, as all work activities require some form of health surveillance to varying degrees. Does the role involve manual handling - yes/no, if yes HS is required Does the role involve driving company vehicles - yes/no, if yes HS is required Does the role involve exposure to Respiratory or Skin sensitisers - yes/no, if yes HS is required Does the role involve exposure to noise - yes/no, if so HS is rquired Does the role involve any Safety Critical aspects - yes/no, if yes HS is required As you can see there are a lot of criteria that determine whether or not Health Surveillance is required. The simple answer is to determine the hazards involved and risk exposure and make your decision based on that. I hope this helps. Regards, Iain (Occupational Health Technician)

Surely, the purpose of health surveillance is to monitor the workforce to detect any adverse effects that might be due to conditions in the working environment. The aim is that we can then take appropriate action to ensure that the condition is managed and the working environment so modified that the cause of the damage is eliminated. So spiromety is used to detect early respiratory issues, audiometry to detect noise induced hearing loss, corneometry to detect sub-clinical irritant skin damage, etc. An added benefit is to regard health surveillance also as a form of performance assessment tool for the control measures that are in place. For example, if those workers carrying out a particular task all tend to show a particular deterioration in, say, skin condition this could be an indication that the exposures are not being adequately managed. Action could then be taken to establish where the exposures were occurring and manage them appropriately. Chris

Hi All Thanks for your responses very helpful and I have now made my decision :) the staff in question work in an extremes sports lab and the urine samples are collected from humans ron ( is that what you were asking lol) but the individuals hand it to staff members like they would in the Drs surgery. sorry if this question seems trivial there maybe many more I have never thought of posting on here before now its only taken me 13 years.

Hi Chris no they are retrieved from members of the public to measure glucose levels etc . cheers sian

Graham What does your risk assessment say regarding exposure. Not knowing exactly the nature of the task I cannot be specific, but I would imagine that the main (if not only) risk of exposure would be to the skin (hands). If this is the case and you believe there is a risk of exposure then a single-use natural rubber latex glove (unpowdered, low free protein) would provide the optimum protection. However, with gloves being worn you will need to have a skin health surveillance system in place to meet current COSHH requirements. If you need more on this PM me. Chris