Overview of Occupational Health Examination

Occupational health examination is a special medical examination carried out in accordance with the Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law and relevant regulations for workers exposed to occupational disease hazards. It aims to detect occupational contraindications and occupational diseases early and protect the health rights and interests of workers. The main contents includePre-employment, on-duty, off-duty and emergency health examinationsFour major categories, covering internal medicine, surgery, facial features, laboratory examinations and special items (such as pulmonary function tests for dust workers). The inspection results are divided into conclusions such as "no abnormality found", "occupational contraindications" and "suspected occupational diseases". The employer needs to adjust positions or arrange treatment based on the results. Occupational health examinations must be conducted by qualified medical institutions and included in the employer's occupational health management files.

Core contents of occupational health examination

The items of occupational health examination are determined according to the type of hazard factors. For example, workers exposed to noise need to undergo pure tone audiometry, workers exposed to benzene compounds need to have blood routine and bone marrow examination, and dust workers need to undergo high-kilovolt chest X-rays and lung function tests. The inspection is divided intoMandatory items(such as blood and urine routine, electrocardiogram) andSelected items(such as biochemical indicators for specific poisons). The "Technical Specifications for Occupational Health Monitoring" (GBZ 188) stipulates in detail the inspection cycles of different industries. For example, workers who work in high temperatures need to be reviewed every summer, and radiation workers need to have eye lens examinations every two years.

Inspection process and precautions

Workers must bring their ID cards and occupational disease hazard notices to participate in the inspection, and avoid drinking alcohol or strenuous exercise before the inspection. Medical institutions should issue a report within 30 days, and cases of suspected occupational diseases must be reported to the health supervision agency. Employers shall not arrange workers who have not been inspected before starting work or who have occupational contraindications to engage in high-risk operations. For example, workers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cannot work with silica dust, and people with color blindness are not allowed to operate signal-related positions. Inspection files should be kept for at least 30 years, and workers have the right to access individual reports.

Legal liability and typical cases

Employers that fail to organize occupational health inspections may face a fine of 50,000 to 300,000 yuan. In 2022, a building materials company was ordered to stop work and fined 180,000 yuan for failing to arrange physical examinations for 12 workers who were exposed to cement dust. Some well-known companies such asSinopec,Baosteel Groupetc. established a digital health monitoring system to realize real-time tracking of examination data. Domestic institutions with occupational health examination qualifications include Beijing Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital, Guangdong Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital, etc. Some tertiary hospitals can also provide related services.

Summary and extension

Occupational health examination is a key link in the third-level prevention of occupational diseases and needs to be implemented collaboratively by employers, workers and medical institutions. In the future, with the application of AI-assisted diagnosis technology (such as Tencent Miying’s pneumoconiosis identification system), inspection efficiency and accuracy will be further improved. If workers find that their rights and interests have been damaged, they can call the 12320 health hotline to complain. Occupational health is no small matter, starting with standardized inspections to build a strong defense line for workplace health.

Quote sources:
1. "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases" (revised in 2018)
2. National Health Commission's "Technical Specifications for Occupational Health Monitoring" (GBZ 188-2014)
3. "Classification and Catalog of Occupational Diseases" by the Institute of Occupational Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
4. Typical case reference: Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission Administrative Punishment Announcement in 2022