Development and implementation of a health surveillance system.

Abstract

With the formation of Shell Oil Company's Health, Safety and Environment Organization in 1976, an expanded employee health surveillance program was started. A computerized system was developed to facilitate collecting, storing, retrieving, and analyzing employee medical, exposure and work history records. System requirements included large storage capacity, confidentiality, operability, flexibility, quality assurance, and minimum impact on user locations. A key element of the system is the Job Exposure Profile (JEP). A JEP describes the work tasks and identifies the chemical and physical agents associated with individual jobs at a location. Employee work history data are collected by utilizing existing payroll systems in conjunction with the JEP. Successful implementation of the system within our manufacturing (refineries, chemical plants and complexes) and products distribution locations has been completed. This was done by obtaining top management support and commitment at each location. A team consisting of corporate industrial hygienists, computer experts, and location staff was responsible for developing JEP's and setting up a system to collect data on the work histories. The system can now be used to prepare reports for location or corporate use, conduct statistical analysis of exposure data and maintain an exposure/work history record for epidemiologic studies.