HC Deb 07 March 1980 vol 980 cc369-70W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his reply of 11 February to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East, what follow-up medical checks are required for employees in licensed nuclear installations and what follow-up checks have been made on those employees who were exposed to more than the permitted level of radiation up to 1975.

Mr. Mayhew

[pursuant to his reply, 27 February 1980, c. 506]: Requirements for the medical supervision of persons employed at licensed nuclear sites are laid down in conditions attached to nuclear site licences granted by the Health and Safety Executive. Licensees are required to arrange for initial medical and blood examinations for all persons designated for employment as classified workers* and for examination by a doctor appointed for the purposes of the relevant licence conditions in all cases where twice the annual permissible doses of radiation have been exceeded. The appointed doction and must in any case be notified examine any person employed on the site who may have been exposed to radiation, and must in any case be notified whenever annual permissible doses have been exceeded. Routine annual medical and blood examinations are carried out on all persons who continue to be designated as classified workers.

I understand that in all cases of overexposure listed in the relevant section of the table included in my answer on 11 February—[Vol 978, c. 454–6]—initial and any necessary follow-up examinations were carried out following notification of the over-exposure. As a minimum, routine annual medical examination will continue to be made as long as the persons concerned are employed as classified workers. *A classified worker is a worker whose duties frequently require him to enter an area where he might be exposed to ionising radiation or radioactive contamination, and remain there for a significant time in relation to the dose of radiation he is likely to receive. No person may be designated a classified worker below the age of 18 years.