[Health surveillance of workers: a bureaucratic chore or substantial prevention? Preliminary results of a study on the state of application in Europe of EU Directive 89/391]

Sorveglianza sanitaria dei lavoratori: incombenza burocratica o sostanziale prevenzione? Risultati preliminari di uno studio sullo stato di applicazione in Europa della Direttiva 89/391

EU addressed workers' health surveillance with the Directive 89/391, introducing measures including that "each worker, if he wishes, has access to health surveillance at regular intervals." This study investigates whether and how EU countries adopted the Directive. To complete a questionnaire we invited one representative for each member state. Preliminary results on 16 countries indicate that health surveillance is not performed in the same way in the EU. The employer is obliged to provide it, and participation is in some countries compulsory. Provider is usually an Occupational Health Physician or Occupational Health Service, but also other providers are possible, including GPs. In conclusion, although the EU Directive has been applied in all participating countries, it remains necessary to harmonize the approach to health surveillance based on the comparison of different experiences and learning from positive results of each Member state by studying process and outcome of workers' health surveillance.