Occupational health and medicine services in Lisbon

Occupational medicine is compulsory, applies to all sectors of activity and is of equal importance to workers and companies.
In this article you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions – occupational medicine: everything you need to know.

In addition to legal compliance, occupational medicine exists to prevent occupational diseases and promote workers’ health and quality of life.

Who can provide occupational health services in my company?

SEPRI is a company providing external occupational health services, based in Lisbon and Braga, which has been providing occupational health services to companies from the north to the south of the country for over 30 years.
We can take care of your workers’ health and ensure that your company complies with its legal obligations. Contact us for a quote at comunicacao@sepri.pt or on 253 271 525 / 212 693 999.

What does the law say about occupational medicine?

 Law no. 102/2009, of September 10, in its current wording, is the main law regulating occupational medicine in Portugal.

This law applies to all branches of activity, as well as the public and private sectors.
If you have employees in your charge, it is mandatory to ensure the provision of  occupational health and safety services.
In its general principles, the law states that workers“have the right to work in conditions that respect their safety and health.”

What is an occupational health consultation?

An occupational medicine consultation is not very different from a general medical consultation, except that it focuses on work-related issues.
In other words, in this consultation, the doctor assesses the signs and symptoms linked to the worker’s professional activity.

The worker will be consulted by the Occupational Physician and the Occupational Nurse, the latter of whom will carry out the auxiliary diagnostic tests requested by the doctor.
These tests are requested according to the health risks of the workplace and may include, for example, an eye screening, an audiogram, an electrocardiogram or others.

It is both a right and a duty for workers to attend these appointments.

It should be noted that the consultation should not cost the employee anything and should, whenever possible, be scheduled during working hours.
The employee is notified to attend these appointments, usually by email, sms or telephone.

What tests are ordered in an occupational medicine consultation?

The tests that can be ordered by the occupational doctor depend on the risk factors of each profession and the tasks performed by the worker.

If the worker is exposed to noise, they should have an audiogram.
Workers who spend many hours in front of a computer or other equipment with a display should have their eyes checked.
There are also specific clinical tests determined in a Technical Guide issued by the Directorate-General for Health for certain risk factors, such as clinical tests for workers exposed to chemical agents.

The occupational doctor may also refer the worker to other specialties, such as the family doctor, psychology, physiotherapy or others.

What is the Medical Fitness Form and what is it for?

At the end of the occupational health consultation, the Medical Aptitude Form (FAM) of the worker.
The aptitude form determines the worker’s ability to perform their job and can result in:

• Fit worker;

• Conditionally fit;

• Temporarily unfit worker;

• Definitely unfit for duty

In cases where the worker is considered “permanently unfit”, the occupational physician must collaborate in determining another, alternative and compatible activity for the worker’s redeployment, always in close collaboration and coordination with the company’s management and Human Resources.

Professional secrecy is very important.
The occupational physician may not reveal any of the employee’s illnesses to the company.
In the medical aptitude form, they should only record the employee’s conditions or restrictions on tasks.
Nor are employees obliged to disclose their illnesses and disabilities to their employer.

How often are appointments and tests made?

• Entrance Exam

It takes place before the start of work or, if the urgency of the hiring justifies it, within the following 15 days.

• Periodic Examination

This is a consultation every two years for workers between the ages of 18 and 50 who do not carry out risky activities; it is annual above this age or if there are risk situations defined by law or collective bargaining agreement.

• Occasional examination

This type of consultation is compulsory after returning from 30 days’ sick leave or other absence (maternity leave, for example), following an accident at work, at the request of the employee or the department, or even due to a change in working conditions.

The occupational doctor can increase or reduce the frequency of examinations depending on the worker’s state of health and the occupational risks of their work.

Certified quality assurance

SEPRI – Medicina do Trabalho is a company certified by the DGS (Directorate-General for Health) and the ACT (Authority for Working Conditions).
We act preventively to ensure compliance with legislation.
We promote  health and safety at work.