OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIAN

 

Consultative functions

• The occupational physician provides the University, its employees and their representatives with written or verbal recommendations and advice regarding the measures that need to be taken to ensure the physical and mental health of the employees. The occupational physician records the written recommendations in the special log referred to in Article 14 of Law 3850/2010: The University is obliged to take notice of the instructions entered in this book by signing in it.
• The occupational physician advises on matters pertaining to the design, planning, modification of the production process, construction and maintenance of facilities, in keeping with the rules on the health and safety of workers.
• The occupational physician advises on matters pertaining to the adoption of protective measures during the introduction and use of materials and the supply of equipment.
• The occupational physician advises on matters pertaining to the physiology and psychology of work, ergonomics and hygiene at work, the configuration and layout of workstations and the work environment and organization of the production process.
• The occupational physician advises on matters pertaining to the organization of a first aid service.
• The occupational physician advises on matters pertaining to the initial placement and the temporary or permanent change to workstations for health reasons, as well as the integration or reintegration of disadvantaged persons into the production process, even by recommending adaptations to the workstation.
• The occupational physician may not be asked to verify whether or not an employee's absence due to illness is justified.

 

Health Surveillance of Employees

• The occupational physician carries out a medical examinations of the employees related to their field of work following their recruitment or a change of workstation, as well as a periodic medical examinations if demanded by the labour inspector, at the request of the workers’ health and safety committee, where this is not provided for by law.  He/She ensures that medical examinations are carried out and workplace factors are measured in accordance with the applicable regulations. He/She assesses the suitability of the employees for the particular job, evaluates and records the results of the examinations, issues a certificate confirming the above evaluations and communicates it to the University. The content of the certificate must respect the medical confidentiality of the employee and may be checked by the health inspectors of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, thereby ensuring the protection of the employee and the University.
• He/She supervises the implementation of measures for the protection of employees’ health and the prevention of accidents. To this end, he/she:

a) regularly supervises the workstations and reports any omission, proposes measures to tackle with such omissions and supervises their implementation,

b) explains the necessity of the correct use of personal protective equipment,

c) investigates the causes of occupational illnesses, analyses and assesses the results of the investigations and proposes measures for the prevention of such illnesses.

d) supervises workers' compliance with the rules on health and safety of workers, informs workers on the risks arising from their work, as well as ways to prevent them, and

e) provides emergency treatment in case of accident or sudden illness. He/ She carries out employee vaccination programs by order of the competent health directorate of the prefecture where the enterprise is based.

• The occupational physician is obliged to observe medical and business confidentiality.
• The occupational physician notifies the labour inspectorate through the University about any employees’ illnesses that are associated with work.
• The occupational physician must be informed by the University and the employees of any factor in the workplace that affects health.
• The surveillance of employees’’ health may not incur any financial burden on them and must take place during their working hours.
• The occupational physician performs his/her duties in a morally independent manner towards the commissioning authority and the employees. Any disagreement with the University on issues within his/her competence may not constitute grounds for termination of his/her contract. In any case, the dismissal of the occupational physician must be justified.
• Within the framework of the obligations of the occupational physician and the University, in accordance with the applicable provisions, the occupational physician is obliged to refer employees for specific additional medical examinations if the University does not have the appropriate infrastructure. These exams are conducted in External Services for the Protection and Prevention (EX.Y.P.P.) or in appropriate services of the private sector or in health units of the insurance organizations or the National Health System (E.S.Y.), which are determined by the competent Ministers Subsequently, the occupational physician is informed of the results of the above examinations and evaluates them. The costs arising from the application of this paragraph shall be borne by the University.
• The occupational physician keeps a relevant medical file for each employee. In addition, an individual occupational risk booklet is prepared and included in the medical file, which includes the results of the medical and laboratory examinations of the employee. Whenever an employee undergoes medical examinations, those entitled to be informed of the employee’s file and the individual booklet, are the health inspectors of the competent Labour Inspectorate and the doctors of the Insurance Fund Organization under which the employee is registered, as well as the employee himself/herself In any case of termination of the employment relationship, the booklet is delivered to the employee concerned.
• The entry and processing of any information or data other than the results of the medical and laboratory tests to which the employee is submitted in the employee's individual occupational risk booklet is prohibited, pursuant to the provision of paragraph 9 of article 18 of Law 3850/2010: Additional medical data may be collected by the employee himself/herself, in order to be the subject to processing, only if this is absolutely necessary: a) to assess his/her suitability for a specific position or work, b) to fulfil the employer's obligations regarding the health and safety of employees and c) to establish the employee's rights and the corresponding provision of social benefits.
• The entry, collection and processing of information or data in violation of paragraph 10 is punishable by the administrative and criminal sanctions provided for in Articles 21 and 22 of Law 2472/1997 "Protection of the individual from the processing of personal data" respectively. In case of material or moral damage, Article 23 of Law 2472/1997 applies.
• The occupational physician reports directly to the University Administration.