Contents and procedures for health examinations related to occupational diseases

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Occupational health examinations are a very important and straightforward aspect of enterprises fulfilling their primary responsibilities. This includes pre-employment, during-employment, post-employment, and emergency occupational health examinations, as well as medical follow-ups after leaving the job. Regardless of the type of occupational health examination, it generally follows these procedures: identifying the individuals to be examined and the examination items → determining the timing of the examination → conducting the examination → receiving the examination results → interpreting and communicating those results → archiving them. 1. Determine the candidates for physical examination and the examination items. Identifying the candidates for physical examination is the first step in occupational health checks; this is done based on the hazardous job positions specified in the “Occupational Health Hazard Identification and Assessment Form”, those with a hazard level of 3 or higher. The physical examination items should be determined based on different risk factors, in accordance with the requirements for such examinations outlined in the \"Regulations on the Management of Occupational Health Surveillance\". Occupational health check-ups are a long-term process; it is neither possible nor necessary to evaluate the individuals undergoing the checks as well as the specific tests performed at each check-up. At the same time, in order to improve the efficiency of communication and coordination with the medical examination institutions and to facilitate reference, the medical examination items and other related matters corresponding to different types of work or hazard factors can be established at one time following the format in the table below. 2. Determine the physical examination date. This is to enable the examination facility to make overall arrangements and allocate resources efficiently, thereby ensuring the quality of the examinations. Before each health check-up, especially before large-scale group check-ups, it is necessary for companies to communicate and coordinate with the medical testing facility in order to determine an appropriate time for the check-up. It is necessary to ensure that enterprises arrange their work in a proper manner, so as not to disrupt normal production activities. Furthermore, to ensure that health checks accurately reflect an employee’s physical condition, for some of the tests it is necessary to have the employees away from jobs involving harmful factors for a sufficient amount of time before the examination can take place. Setting the examination dates in advance also helps companies to arrange their staff more effectively and respond accordingly. 3. Physical examination: 1–2 days before the examination, it is essential to clearly convey the \"pre-examination precautions\" to the staff conducting the examination and ensure that those undergoing the examination are aware of them. The main issue that must be avoided during physical examinations is fraud, and this requires joint oversight by both the company and the medical examination facility. Companies can designate specialized departments or personnel to monitor the entire process of physical examinations and verify each detail; medical examination facilities can use methods such as video recording, identity card verification, and step-by-step checks to ensure quality control, and in the event of any abnormalities, they should immediately terminate the examination and notify the company promptly. 4. Physical examination results and evaluation: Before the examination facility provides an evaluation, the enterprise should supply it with accurate information such as the names of the hazardous factors to which the employees are exposed, the main production processes, and the results of environmental tests. Occupational health professionals in enterprises should promptly obtain from the medical examination institutions the results of their employees’ occupational health checks, in order to prepare for a correct interpretation of those results. 5. Interpretation and reporting of physical examination results: The interpretation of physical examination results includes the following aspects: (1) Whether the employee’s health is normal, and what are the reasons for any abnormalities? Are these related to work-related factors? (2) What are the differences between the current examination results and previous ones, and what are the reasons for these differences? Are they related to work-related factors? By addressing these questions, an interpretation of the physical examination results becomes more comprehensive, making it easier to arrive at objective conclusions. Interpreting physical examination results is a very serious and meticulous task; whether it is done correctly not only affects whether employees’ legitimate rights and interests can be protected, but also determines what legal responsibilities the company must assume. Therefore, those who interpret physical examination results must not only possess extensive medical expertise but also strong capabilities in understanding policies. After interpreting the health check results, they must be communicated in writing to the employees. At this time, the company’s occupational health personnel should inform employees of the true situation regarding the interpretation of their medical examinations, and answer their questions carefully and thoroughly. 6. Archiving: As important documentation, physical examination results should be promptly added to employees’ personal \"occupational health surveillance records\" and stored properly. However, physical examination results are not simply filed away; companies also need to conduct dynamic, comprehensive analysis of these results. By comparing the most recent health test results with previous ones and plotting the change curves for various test parameters, it is possible to clearly see how an employee’s health status has changed, thereby providing a technical basis for health interventions in the company.