The term 'monitoring record' generally refers to information kept by an
employer concerning the measurements taken of
workplace environmental conditions, in order to determine levels of
exposure to hazardous agents, be they
biological,
chemical,
physical or radiological.
Employers must keep suitable records of any monitoring they carry out to measure exposure levels of
employees to substances hazardous to health. To be regarded as suitable, a record should state the employer's name and address where the monitoring was carried out and include sufficient information to show:
1) the
substances to which employees were exposed and were monitored; when the monitoring was carried out; and what the results were;
2) what monitoring procedures were used, including the duration;
3) the type of work being carried out at the time;
4) the locations where samples were taken;
5) where personal samples were taken, the names of the individuals concerned; and
6) for each occasion that air monitoring is carried out, a record of the names of the sampler and analyst or the names of their organisations.
Employer's duties
The employer may keep the records in any format, e.g. on paper or electronically, but the information should be readily retrievable at any reasonable time and in an easily understood form. It is particularly important that the employer also keeps the information in a form that will help those responsible for
health surveillance to compare the results of monitoring exposure with any detected effects on the health of employees.
Employers should maintain an index or list of the names of people undergoing, or who have undergone, health surveillance. Where an employer keeps an individual employee's personal exposure data and
health records on separate electronic databases, the system should be capable of retrieving both sets of employee information so that they can be read and considered together. Alternatively, where the employee concerned is also under health surveillance, the employer may keep details of an employee's personal exposure and health surveillance on the same record.
Where the monitoring record is representative of the personal exposures of identifiable employees to biological or chemical agents, it must be kept for at least 40 years and in any other case, for at least 5 years from the date of the last entry made in it. However, in respect of exposure to
ionising radiation, dose records must be kept until the individual has or would have attained the age of 75 years, but in any event for at least 50 years from when they were made.
Disposing of records when a business ceases to tradeWhen an employer or employer's representative, e.g. an appointed administrator, receiver or liquidator, decides that the business will cease trading, the employer should contact a medical inspector of HSE's Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS) at the HSE Area Office nearest to where the business is located, and offer to provide the employee's exposure records (or copies of them) for safe keeping.
Access to employees' recordsAs well as allowing their employees to see their own individual monitoring records, employers may, with the employee's consent, also allow the employee's representatives to see them.
