WAC 296-848-30030 Medical evaluations.

аааа IMPORTANT:

аааа Х Medical evaluations conducted under this section will satisfy the medical evaluation requirement found in another chapter, Respirators, chapter 296-842 WAC.

аааа You must:

аааа Х Make medical evaluations available to current employees who have been, are, or will be exposed to inorganic arsenic concentrations above the AL:

аааа Ц At least thirty days in any twelve-month period;

аааа OR

аааа Ц A total of ten years or more of combined employment with you or previous employers with at least thirty days of exposure per year.

аааа Х Make medical evaluations available at no cost to employees.

аааа Ц Pay all costs, including travel costs and wages associated with any time spent outside of the employee's normal work hours.

аааа Х Make medical evaluations available at reasonable times and places.

аааа Х Make medical evaluations available by completing Steps 1 through 6 of the Medical Evaluation Process for each employee covered.

Note:	Х Employees who wear respirators need to be medically evaluated to make sure the respirator will not harm them, before they are assigned work in areas requiring respirators. Employees who decline to receive medical examination and testing to monitor for health effects caused by inorganic arsenic are not excluded from receiving a separate medical evaluation for a respirator use.
	Х If employers discourage participation in medical monitoring for health effects caused by inorganic arsenic, or in any way interfere with an employee's decision to continue with this program, this interference may represent unlawful discrimination under RCW 49.17.160, Discrimination against employee filing, instituting proceeding, or testifying prohibited -- Procedure -- Remedy.

аааа Helpful tool:

аааа Declination form for nonemergency related medical evaluations.

аааа You may use this optional form to document employee decisions to decline participation in the medical evaluation process for exposure to inorganic arsenic. To see this form, go to the Resources section within this chapter.

аааа Medical Evaluation Process

аааа Step 1: Identify employees who qualify, as stated above, for medical evaluations.

аааа Step 2a: Make medical evaluations available for employees identified in Step 1 at the following times:

аааа Х Initially, when employees are assigned to work in an area where exposure monitoring results are, or will likely be, above the action level for at least thirty days in a twelve-month period.

аааа Х Periodically as specified in Table 3.

аааа Х When employment with exposure ends, if the employee has not had an evaluation within the six-month period before exposure ends. Include in these evaluations the same content as specified in Table 4 for initial evaluations, excluding a chest X ray.

Table 3

аааа Frequencies for Periodic Medical Evaluations

For:	Provide periodic medical evaluations every:
Employees less than forty-five years old with less than ten years of exposure above the AL	Twelve months;
Employees forty-five or older;	Six months;
AND	AND
Employees with more than ten years of exposure above the AL	Twelve months to obtain a fourteen by seventeen-inch posterior-anterior chest X ray for monitoring purposes, unless the LHCP has determined a different frequency for periodic X rays.

аааа Step 2b: Provide appropriate medical examination and emergency treatment when an employee identified in Step 1 develops signs or symptoms commonly associated with inorganic arsenic exposure.

аааа Step 3: Select a licensed health care professional (LHCP) who will conduct or supervise examinations and procedures.

аааа Step 4: Make sure the LHCP receives all of the following before the medical evaluation is performed:

аааа Х A copy of this chapter.

аааа Х A description of the duties of the employee being evaluated and how these duties relate to inorganic arsenic exposure.

аааа Х The anticipated or representative exposure monitoring results for the employee being evaluated.

аааа Х A description of the personal protective equipment (PPE) each employee being evaluated uses or will use.

аааа Х Information from previous employment-related examinations when this information is not available to the examining LHCP.

аааа Х Instructions that the written opinions the LHCP provides you be limited to the following information:

аааа Ц Results from examinations and tests.

аааа Ц The LHCP's opinion about whether or not medical conditions were found that would increase the employee's risk for impairment from exposure to inorganic arsenic.

аааа Ц Any recommended limitations for:

аааа ▪ Inorganic arsenic exposure;

аааа AND

аааа ▪ Use of respirators or other PPE.

аааа Ц A statement that the employee has been informed of medical results and medical conditions caused by inorganic arsenic exposure requiring further examination or treatment.

аааа Step 5: Make the medical evaluation available to the employee. Make sure it includes the content listed in Table 4, Content of Medical Evaluations.

аааа Step 6: Obtain the LHCP's written opinion for the employee's medical evaluation and give a copy to the employee.

аааа Х Make sure the written opinion is limited to the information specified for written opinions in Step 4.

Note:

If the written opinion contains specific findings or diagnoses unrelated to occupational exposure, send it back and obtain a revised version without the additional information.

Table 4

аааа Content of Medical Evaluations

When conducting:	Include:
An initial evaluation	Х A work history and medical history including:
	Ц Smoking history.
	Ц The presence and degree of respiratory symptoms such as breathlessness, cough, sputum production, and wheezing.
	Х A physical examination that includes:
	Ц A fourteen by seventeen-inch posterior-anterior chest X ray and the International Labor Office UICC/Cincinnati (ILO U/C) rating.
	Ц A nasal and skin examination.
	Х Additional examinations the licensed healthcare professional (LHCP) believes appropriate based on the employee's exposure to inorganic arsenic or respirator use.
Periodic evaluations for employees less than forty-five years old with less than ten years of exposure above the action level (AL)	Х The same content as specified for initial evaluations repeated every twelve months.
Periodic evaluations for employees:	Х The following content repeated every six months:
Х Forty-five or older;	Ц A work history and medical history including:
OR	▪ Smoking history.
Х With more than ten years of exposure above the AL	▪ The presence and degree of respiratory symptoms such as breathlessness, cough, sputum production, and wheezing.
	Ц A physical examination that includes a nasal and skin examination.
	Ц Additional examinations the LHCP believes appropriate based on the employee's exposure to inorganic arsenic or respirator use.
	Х A physical examination, repeated every twelve months, that obtains a fourteen by seventeen-inch posterior-anterior chest X ray and the International Labor Office UICC/Cincinnati (ILO U/C) rating.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. 07-03-153, з 296-848-30030, filed 1/23/07, effective 6/1/07; 05-01-173, з 296-848-30030, filed 12/21/04, effective 5/1/05.]