The Occupational Doctor is an important counsellor for the company and its employees; he provides all the necessary recommendations and advice on the measures to be taken to preserve their physical and mental health.
The law
According to the existing legal framework, organizations with more than 50 employees have the obligation to provide the service of the Occupational Doctor to their employees for a specific number of hours each month, the latter to be determined by the number of employees in the company.
Occupational Doctor Services embrace all the obligations specified in Decree 3850/2010, namely: preventive periodic examination of workers, establishment of medical records of the personnel, health assessment of work capacity, preparation of vaccination programs, cooperation for the formation of a list of procedures for the safe execution of works, training and information of workers for the protection against biological, physical and chemical agents, and guidelines for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders.
Advisory tasks of the Occupational Doctor
The occupational doctor provides oral or written in the suggestions’ ledger, recommendations and advice on the measures to be taken for the physical and mental health of workers to the employer, the workers and their representatives.
The Occupational Doctor advises on:
- The design, planning, and modification of the production process.
- The construction and maintenance of facilities in accordance with the health and safety rules for the workers.
- The taking of measures to protect the introduction and use of materials and the supply of equipment.
- The physiology and psychology of work, the ergonomic and the work hygiene, the arrangement and formulation of the workplaces and the work environment and the organization of the production process.
- The organization of a First-Aid service.
- The initial placement and the job change according to temporary or permanent health reasons, as well as the integration or reintegration of disadvantaged people into the production process, even by suggesting a modification of the workplace.
The Responsibilities of the Occupational Doctor
Aiming to prevent and promote the health and well-being of the employees of the company, the Occupational Doctor has the following list of obligations:
- Every business facility is visited at predetermined dates and time, as these have been authorized by the Inspectorate of Health & Safety at Work.
- During the visits, checks of all areas and workplaces are conducted in respect to health and safety at work and the prevention of work accidents. Checks are carried out based on the present health and safety legislation.
- The individual medical records of each employee are drawn or updated.
- Certificates of job qualification for each employee are issued.
- The need for the proper use of personal protective equipment is exemplified.
- The causes of work-related illnesses are investigated, the results of research are analyzed and evaluated and measures to prevent these diseases are proposed.
- Employees are informed about how to manage emergencies that may affect their health.
- Medical examinations are carried out and the recording of the results takes place in the individual medical record of each employee.
- The recommendations are recorded in the suggestions’ ledger of the facility. The responsible person for the facility becomes aware of the instructions by signing the posts in this book.
In addition, the Occupational Doctor:
- Provides medical recommendations to those workers who wish so, during the scheduled visit.
- Provides general health and hygiene guidelines to employees in printouts or electronically, on important or current health issues, such as: heat protection, quit smoking, healthy eating, work with computer displays, physical exercise, etc.
- Organizes voluntary blood donation.
Medical confidentiality
The Medical confidentiality at work includes:
- Any health issues the employee has entrusted to the occupational doctor or the nurse.
- Any health issues the occupational doctor or nurse was informed, came across, assumed or perceived in the course of his or her duties.
- The positive or even the negative finding of the occupational doctor or nurse.
- Any information the patient wishes to be treated as private, even if it has already leaked out in a different way.
- The entrance to the office or the First-Aid room, and this is also considered as a medical confidentiality.
The employee shares his personal details with the Occupational Doctor of Labor, by conveying a large part of his / her autonomy, which must be preserved. For this reason, medical confidentiality is an important principle in occupational medicine where the unauthorized disclosure of information may have personal, social or legal implications.