Occupational health and industrial hygiene

Prevent first, not just treat

Many work-related health problems develop slowly. Hearing loss from noise, breathing problems from dust, or muscle complaints from repetitive postures often only become noticeable after years. By then, the damage may be permanent.

Occupational health focuses on the stage before that: recognising hazards in the workplace, measuring the level of exposure, controlling it, then monitoring workers' health regularly. This service complements your HSE team's work from the health side.

This approach also helps a company answer the questions that come up in audits and inspections: which hazards exist, how high the exposure is, what has been done, and how workers' health has changed over time. The answers are already in the records, not put together just before the inspection.

Industrial hygiene: recognising and measuring hazards

Work starts by looking at the processes on site first-hand. We map the health hazards in each area and job group:

• physical, such as noise, vibration, heat, and lighting;
• chemical, such as dust, vapours, gases, and chemicals used in the process;
• biological, such as exposure to contaminated water or waste;
• ergonomic, such as manual handling and postures held for long periods;
• psychosocial, such as night shifts, long rosters, and workload.

The map shows which areas and jobs need further measurement. Measurements are taken with calibrated instruments and compared against the applicable exposure limits. Where a measurement has to be done by a designated laboratory or body, we coordinate it.

Worker health examinations

The environmental measurements decide which health examinations are relevant. Workers in noisy areas need hearing tests, workers exposed to dust need lung function tests, and so on. Examinations take place before employment, periodically, specifically after an incident or particular exposure, and when a worker returns after illness or injury.

Results are read together with exposure data. When several workers in one area show the same change, it is a sign that the controls in that area need reviewing.

Examinations are also used to assess fitness for work. The doctor judges whether a worker can do their job safely, needs temporarily adjusted duties, or needs further tests. This recommendation goes to the company without disclosing medical details that are not needed.

Heat and fatigue

Two risks that often arise at mines, smelters, and remote projects are heat exposure and fatigue. Workers wearing heavy PPE near heat sources can develop heat stress, ranging from cramps to a medical emergency. Long rosters, night shifts, and long journeys to site can cause fatigue that reduces alertness.

Both can be controlled: work and rest schedules, access to drinking water, acclimatisation for new workers, readiness checks before a shift, and supervisors and medical staff trained to spot the early signs. For furnace areas, our article on heat stress at smelters goes into more detail. Signs and controls for fatigue are covered in our article on fatigue in roster workers.

Occupational health programs

We turn the hazard map, measurements, and examinations into a program that can actually be run: control priorities, examination schedules, worker education, and the indicators to track. The program links with our onsite clinic and OHS training services when they run at the same site.

ADR Medika is a new company, founded in 2026. We do not claim results that have not happened yet; program targets and how to measure them are agreed together from the start, then reviewed regularly.

Discuss your site's needs