Health surveillance
1. Without prejudice to Article 14 of Directive 89/391/EEC, Member States shall adopt provisions to ensure the appropriate health surveillance of workers with reference to the outcome of the risk assessment provided for in Article 4(1) of this Directive where it indicates a risk to their health. Those provisions, including the requirements specified for health records and their availability, shall be introduced in accordance with national laws and/or practice.
Health surveillance, the results of which are taken into account in the application of preventive measures at a specific workplace, shall be intended to prevent and diagnose rapidly any disorder linked with exposure to mechanical vibration. Such surveillance shall be appropriate where:
- the exposure of workers to vibration is such that a link can be established between that exposure and an identifiable illness or harmful effects on health,
- it is probable that the illness or the effects occur in a worker's particular working conditions, and
- there are tested techniques for the detection of the illness or the harmful effects on health.
In any event, workers exposed to mechanical vibration in excess of the values stated in Article 3(1)(b) and (2)(b) shall be entitled to appropriate health surveillance.
2. Member States shall establish arrangements to ensure that, for each worker who undergoes health surveillance in accordance with paragraph 1, individual health records are made and kept up-to-date. Health records shall contain a summary of the results of the health surveillance carried out. They shall be kept in a suitable form so as to permit any consultation at a later date, taking into account any confidentiality.
Copies of the appropriate records shall be supplied to the competent authority on request. The individual worker shall, at his request, have access to the health records relating to him personally.
3. Where, as a result of health surveillance, a worker is found to have an identifiable disease or adverse health effect which is considered by a doctor or occupational health-care professional to be the result of exposure to mechanical vibration at work:
(a) the worker shall be informed by the doctor or other suitably qualified person of the result which relates to him personally. He shall, in particular, receive information and advice regarding any health surveillance which he should undergo following the end of exposure;
(b) the employer shall be informed of any significant findings from the health surveillance, taking into account any medical confidentiality.
(c) the employer shall:
- review the risk assessment carried out pursuant to Article 4,
- review the measures provided for to eliminate or reduce risks pursuant to Article 5,
- take into account the advice of the occupational health-care professional or other suitably qualified person or the competent authority in implementing any measures required to eliminate or reduce risk in accordance with Article 5, including the possibility of assigning the worker to alternative work where there is no risk of further exposure, and
- arrange continued health surveillance and provide for a review of the health status of any other worker who has been similarly exposed. In such cases, the competent doctor or occupational health care professional or the competent authority may propose that exposed persons undergo a medical examination.
Transitional periods
With regard to implementation of the obligations laid down in Article 5(3), Member States, after consultation of the two sides of industry in accordance with national legislation or practice, shall be entitled to make use of a maximum transitional period of five years from 6 July 2005 where work equipment is used which was given to workers before 6 July 2007 and which does not permit the exposure limit values to be respected, taking into account the latest technical advances and/or the organisational measures taken. With regard to equipment used in the agriculture and forestry sectors, Member States shall be entitled to extend the maximum transitional period by up to four years.
Derogations
1. In compliance with the general principles of health and safety protection for workers, Member States may, in the case of sea and air transport, derogate from Article 5(3) in duly justified circumstances with respect to whole-body vibration where, given the state of the art and the specific characteristics of workplaces, it is not possible to comply with the exposure limit value despite the technical and/or organisation measures taken.
2. In a case where the exposure of a worker to mechanical vibration is usually below the exposure action values given in Article 3(1)(b) and (2)(b) but varies markedly from time to time and may occasionally exceed the exposure limit value, Member States may also grant derogations from Article 5(3). However, the exposure value averaged over 40 hours must be less than the exposure limit value and there must be evidence to show that the risks from the pattern of exposure to the work are lower than those from exposure at the exposure limit value.
3. The derogations referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be granted by Member States after consultation of the two sides of industry in accordance with national laws and practice. Such derogations must be accompanied by conditions which guarantee, taking into account the special circumstances, that the resulting risks are reduced to a minimum and that the workers concerned are subject to increased health surveillance. Such derogations shall be reviewed every four years and withdrawn as soon as the justifying circumstances no longer obtain.
4. Every four years Member States shall forward to the Commission a list of derogations as referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, indicating the exact reasons and circumstances which made them decide to grant the derogations.
Technical amendments
Amendments to the Annex of a strictly technical nature in line with:
(a) the adoption of Directives in the field of technical harmonisation and standardisation with regard to the design, building, manufacture or construction of work equipment and/or workplaces;
(b) technical progress, changes in the most appropriate harmonised European standards or specifications and new findings concerning mechanical vibration;
shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure laid down in Article 12(2).
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Committee referred to in Article 17(2) of Directive 89/391/EEC.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.
The period referred to in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.
3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
SECTION IV
FINAL PROVISIONS
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
