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Silica Medicals

Occupational Health

Silica Medicals

Who needs a Silica Medical?

Workers with prolonged exposure to airborne particles of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) can develop serious and life-changing respiratory conditions such as silicosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) states that health surveillance for silicosis should be considered for workers who are involved in high-risk occupations, including construction, foundry work, brick and tile work, ceramics, slate, manufacturing, quarries, and stonework.

If there is regular exposure to RCS dust and a reasonable likelihood that silicosis may develop, health surveillance must be provided.

What is a Silica Medical?

Silica health surveillance medicals are a system of ongoing health checks for workers who are regularly exposed to RCS. These are carried out by our qualified Occupational Health professionals, and include a series of health checks on individuals, such as lung function tests, questions on respiratory systems, and chest x-rays (if necessary).

Additionally, face fit testing is included as part of our Silica health surveillance. This procedure ensures that a mask or Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) fits an individual’s face properly. A number of tests are carried out on workers as they are wearing their face coverings to ensure an adequate seal is provided. Correctly fitting face coverings are crucial in preventing inhalation of harmful silica dust, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the health surveillance programme.

Together, these measures help in the early detection of any adverse health effects, ensuring timely intervention and ongoing protection for workers, as well as compliance with HSE law.

How can I arrange a Silica Medical for myself or for my employees?

As with most of our services, these can be at your workplace or our offices in Royal Wootton Bassett, near Swindon. If it’s only a handful of people who require medical assessments or just yourself, then our office works well, otherwise it makes sense to arrange at your workplace.

Complete one of the contact forms on this page or call the office on 01793 852951 to arrange your Silica medical now.

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Reviews

Georgina Williams
April 20, 2022

John Williams Heating Services Ltd

We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.

As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.

During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.

I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure.
We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell

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