Occupational health consultations are both a right and a duty for workers and it is the duty of companies to ensure that they are available.
It should be noted that the consultation or examination should not cost the worker anything and should, whenever possible, be scheduled during working hours.
How does an occupational health consultation work?
The occupational medicine consultation has the same structure as a general medical consultation, the main difference being that the doctor will focus on collecting data related to the professional activity.
The worker will be consulted by the occupational doctor and the occupational nurse, with the latter carrying out the auxiliary diagnostic tests requested by the doctor to determine fitness for work.
Medical examinations
Tests are requested according to the health risks of the workplace and may include, for example, eye screening, audiograms, electrocardiograms or other specific tests associated with specific risks, such as clinical analyses for workers exposed to ionizing radiation or chemical agents.
What does the law say?
Health examinations are procedures for systematically collecting information with the aim of determining a worker’s professional suitability and monitoring their health.
Law 102/2009, in its current wording, establishes the existence of three types of occupational health examinations: admission examinations, periodic examinations and occasional examinations.
What happens after the consultation?
At the end of the occupational health consultation, the worker’s Medical Aptitude Form (FAM) is filled in.
This document can declare the worker to be “fit”, “conditionally fit”, “temporarily unfit” or “permanently unfit”.
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I’m APTO, what does that mean?
It means that you are in a fit state of health to carry out all the tasks inherent in your job, without significant restrictions or limitations.
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I’m CONDITIONED, what does that mean?
This classification is assigned when the worker has a health condition that requires certain precautions or adjustments to the workplace to accommodate the limitation or medical condition.
When this happens, the occupational physician must indicate on the medical fitness form what the worker’s condition is, always protecting their personal medical data, indicating the task that cannot be performed or the exposure to a risk factor that must be avoided or prohibited. -
I’m TEMPORARILY UNABLE, what does that mean?
Indicates that, at the time of the assessment, the individual is not fit for work due to a temporary medical condition.
It may be due to an injury, infection or other health situation which, with the right treatment and the necessary time for recovery, may allow the person to return to work when they are in better health. -
I’m DEFINITELY UNABLE, what does that mean?
A worker can be declared permanently unfit for their usual job or permanently unfit for any job.
When this happens, it means that the individual has a permanent or chronic health condition that makes it impossible for them to perform their duties safely and efficiently.
Once the aptitude form has been completed, it is signed by the worker and the occupational physician and a copy is sent to the human resources manager of the worker’s company, who must also sign it.
In the event of conditioned aptitude or inaptitude, it is systematically established that contact needs to be made with the worker’s human resources and management in order to discuss the conditioning and its practical applicability in the workplace.
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