3.2.09 Occupational health measures

1 Aim and purpose Health hazards caused by work processes in the hospital are to be recognised and avoided in good time through occupational health measures. The health of employees should be promoted.
The requirements for company medical care set out in Section 3 of the Occupational Safety Act (ASiG) are met.

2 Application

In all areas of the hospital

3 Description

The management has appointed Dr as company doctor. He is a doctor specialising in occupational medicine. He also has the necessary authorisation as a doctor authorised to provide radiation protection and carries out preventive occupational medical examinations in accordance with the Radiation Protection and X-ray Ordinance.

3.1 Overview of the activities of the company doctor

3.1.1 Company medical examinations

Dr is responsible for the company medical examinations. For more details, see procedural instruction 3.2.10

3.1.2 Counselling management, executives, representatives and employees

The company doctor advises the management in the Occupational Health and Safety Committee or, if required, in other committees, e.g. the ward manager meeting or on request during his consultation hours. He advises all persons responsible for occupational health and safety, such as the hygiene specialists. He advises employees on all health protection and hygiene issues relevant to the hospital or to individual employees. It draws attention to new regulations from the legislator, the employers' liability insurance association and the medical association, new technical developments to improve health protection or the further development of work processes relevant to health protection.
It advises the management

- in the planning, construction and maintenance of operating facilities as well as social and sanitary facilities,

- in the selection and testing of personal protective equipment,

- in the procurement of work equipment and the introduction of work processes and working materials,

- in work physiological, work psychological and ergonomic issues, in particular work rhythm, working hours and break regulations,

- in the design of workplaces, work processes and the working environment,

- on issues relating to job changes and the gradual reintegration of employees who have been absent for a longer period due to illness in accordance with the Hamburg model.

Other key areas of counselling include vaccination advice for employees, e.g. against hepatitis B, and advice on the assessment of workplaces for pregnant employees (see VA 3.2.20). The company doctor examines the causes of work-related illnesses, documents the examination results, analyses them statistically if necessary and proposes measures to the management to prevent such illnesses and to eliminate focal points of illness.

3.1.3 Inspections, monitoring the implementation of occupational health and safety

The company doctor takes part in health and safety inspections once a month together with the management, the employee representatives and the occupational safety specialist. In addition to these routine inspections, the company doctor also carries out workplace inspections as required. Such inspections can be triggered by the fulfilment of legal obligations, e.g. in accordance with the Maternity Protection Act, the occurrence of occupational illnesses such as allergies, accidents at work or complaints from employees.
He assesses the working conditions and, in cooperation with the occupational safety specialist and the hygiene specialists, pays particular attention to the use of personal protective equipment and the implementation of the regulations on occupational health and safety applicable in the hospital, records any deviations, proposes measures to remedy them and suggests that these measures be implemented.
It also checks whether the measures taken are effective and informs the management accordingly.

3.1.4 Information for employees, training

The company doctor informs the hospital's managers and employees about accident and health hazards in the workplace and how to avoid or minimise them by means of circulars, instructions, lectures or during his consultation hours.
The information is published on the "notice board" as required, e.g. after legal changes, or distributed to the ward/functional managers via the appropriate distribution list. Publication is documented by the company doctor's office.

3.1.5 Committee work, internal cooperation

The company doctor is a member of the hospital's occupational health and safety committee, which meets four times a year under the leadership of the deputy managing director. He takes part in ward manager meetings as required.
He has direct access to the management. He also represents the interests of the hospital in all matters relating to health protection in dealings with authorities such as the health authorities, the employers' liability insurance association, the State Office for Occupational Health and Safety and the Medical Association.

3.1.6 Health management, health promotion

The company doctor controls and applies to the management for campaigns to promote employee health and procures the necessary resources from the management. Examples include the smoking cessation programme and vaccination campaigns.

3.1.7 Special services

The company doctor provides the following special services for the hospital over and above the statutory requirements

- he carries out voluntary tests on kitchen staff for infectious agents

- In his role as quality assurance physician, he is responsible for quality assurance in autologous blood donation and transfusion.

- He regularly takes part in the exchange of experience between hospital company doctors in Cologne and the surrounding area.

- he informs the sponsoring organisation in lectures on specific topics relating to health promotion, e.g. addiction diseases such as alcohol or drugs.

4 Documentation

Inspection reports to the company doctor and management
Health file with the company doctor
Preventive care file at the company doctor
Certificate of appointment with the management
Written confirmation that the company doctor's secretary has been instructed on the duty of confidentiality

5 Resources

Examination room
(Partial) secretary
Office
Laboratory capacity

6 Responsibility, qualification

External doctor with the specialist title of occupational medicine, who has the specialist knowledge required under Section 4 of the Occupational Safety Act and Section 3 of BGV A 2 and is authorised to carry out the preventive occupational medical examinations required at St. Katharinen Hospital GmbH due to the requirements of the employers' liability insurance association and statutory requirements.

7 Notes and comments

8 Applicable documents

8.1 Literature

Occupational Safety Act §§ 3,4 Employer's Liability Insurance Association regulation BGV A2 "Company doctors and occupational safety specialists" from September 2007
Employer's Liability Insurance Association Regulation BGV A 4 "Occupational health care" from June 2007
BGR 250/TRBA 250 "Biological agents in the health and welfare sector" dated February 2008 Documents from Annex 1

VDBW e.V.: Guide to occupational health management

8.2 Terms

Company doctor Physician with specialisation in occupational medicine. Precautionary file The management's personal file on the results of the occupational health check-ups carried out. It is kept as a computer file by the company doctor's office. The structure of the medical check-up file is specified by the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the health and welfare services. Health record The health file is a personalised folder for medical data, in this case of the company doctor, which is kept by the company doctor and kept under lock and key at all times. Only the company doctor and the secretary have keys.

Creation date: June 2008 Author: Dr Böhm

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