Respiratory Health Surveillance & Spirometry

Occupational Asthma & Lung Disease Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. As part of a robust Health Surveillance Ireland program, identifying symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath is critical for workplace safety.

Occupational Asthma is frequently caused by substances inhaled at work, such as wood dust, stone dust, chemical fumes, or animal dander.

Extrinsic Allergic Alveolitis (Hypersensitivity pneumonitis) is an inflammation of the alveoli within the lung caused by hypersensitivity to inhaled organic dusts.

• Mouldy hay/straw: Farmers lung

• Bird excreta: Bird fancier’s lung

• Mouldy barley: Malt worker’s lung

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) COPD is a slow-developing condition often linked to specific industrial occupations. Regular Spirometry Testing is the clinical standard for monitoring lung health and ensuring long-term employee wellness in high-risk environments.

Carrying out a risk assessment for airborne hazardous substances (fumes, dust, or gas) is a highly specialized requirement for HSA Health Surveillance compliance. You may need to commission an occupational hygienist to measure the concentration of these substances in the breathing zone.

Several hazardous substances have Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) which establish safe legal boundaries.

• ‘Exposure measurement’ requires a survey to assess people’s exposure to substances in workplace air.

• ‘Personal sampling’ involves taking air samples near the worker’s breathing zone to guide the implementation of your risk control measures.

Our services ensure your business remains compliant with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the Chemical Agents Regulations 2001, and the HSA Guidelines on Occupational Asthma.

Under Health Surveillance Ireland statutes, employers are legally required to provide medical monitoring where risk assessments identify a specific respiratory hazard. We provide the clinical oversight necessary to satisfy HSA inspectors and insurance auditors.

Guidelines on occupational asthma HSA 2007.

Control measures are the steps taken to remove a hazard (eliminate) or reduce it to a low level (minimise).

1. Elimination: Remove the hazardous substance from the workplace.

2. Substitution: Replace with a safer alternative.

3. Engineering Controls: Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) or enclosure of processes.

4. Administrative Controls: Systems of work that minimize exposure time.

5. RPE/PPE: Mandatory use of Respiratory Protective Equipment.

Note: Health surveillance is required even when RPE is used, as it acts as a final check that all other controls are working.

A complete Spirometry Testing Ireland program consists of:

• Respiratory Health Questionnaire: Gathers data on common symptoms like coughing or chest tightness and their relationship to the workplace.

• Spirometry (Lung Function Testing): Conducted with a calibrated spirometer to measure age, height, and gender-adjusted lung capacity.

Mobile Medicals provide a turnkey solution: on-site testing, specialist Occupational Health Physician review, site summary reports, and multi-year data trending to identify risks before they become liabilities.

A respiratory sensitizer is a substance which, when breathed in, can trigger an irreversible allergic reaction. Initial sensitization may take weeks or months. Look for the following risk phrases on your chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDS) to trigger the need for HSA Health Surveillance:

• H334 (formerly R42): May cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled.

• R42/43: May cause sensitization by inhalation and skin contact.

Common Workplace Hazards Requiring Health Surveillance in Ireland

As part of your HSA Health Surveillance obligations, it is vital to identify specific biological and environmental triggers that necessitate regular Spirometry Testing. Below is a reference for common industrial hazards and the conditions they may cause: