MEDEXISMEDical EXposure Information SystemCEFIC Responsible Care Award 2010 – Solvay

Enclosures : a presentation of the project

2© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Plan

The MEDEXIS project

Industrial hygiene

The occupational physician

MEDEXIS: Secure combination of individual data

Setting up Medexis

Personnel health: Solvay strategy

Questions

CC-HSE – sujet – date 2009 3

© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.

The MEDEXIS project A uniformly high level of personnel health protection everywhere

4© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

What is the Medexis project?

MEDEXIS = MEDical EXposure Information System

Harmonisation on all Solvay sites:

• Prevention of health risks

• High level medical monitoring

Information management tool: “occupational medicine” and “exposure” type data

Medexis deployment in 2 parts:

1. Hygiene part

2. Medical part

5© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

2 complementary approaches to health protection:

Controlling working conditions

→ Industrial hygienist

Medical surveillance

→ Occupational physician

Health protection: 2 complementary approaches

6© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Medexis Objectives

Group Project → All Solvay sites

Access by hygienists and occupational physicians to complete and reliable data

Good documentation on levels of exposure to dangers

Medical monitoring adapted to each person and risk

Information collected and retained throughout professional life: personnel computer file: the occupational health file

7© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Access to Medexis data

Lists of dangers: substances, noise, vibration, … and the toxicological and regulatory characteristics of each substance

Risk exposure levels and protection for chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic hazards at work stations

Individual medical monitoring related to potential risks, going beyond regulatory requirements

Access by hygienists and occupational physicians to objective, standardised, complete and reliable data, for prevention purposes:

8© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Medexis contribution to health protection

Risk prevention Validated information on

substances and their risks → better risk prevention

Global view of risk factors → if corrective measures necessary → faster and more effective decision

Monitoring Individual monitoring based on high quality data Up to date “Group” recommendations and methods → same monitoring

quality everywhere in the world

Employment health file Computerised and unique

Monitoring throughout career → traceability for professional exposures and health data recording

Always up to date clear and complete Exposure to risk factors → special attention

9© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Medexis: A standardising and integrating tool

StandardisingAccess by Hygiene and Health experts to the best methods and tools

(e.g. EA-tool, medical protocols) → harmonisation

IntegratingBringing medical and hygiene data + administrative data related to work roles

and positions occupied into relationOrganize samplings

campaigns

Manage key figures Recor medicalresults

Perform medical visits

Apply health surveillance protocols

on regard of risks & exposures

Define standard health surveillance

protocols

Manage personsManage agents

Assess risk & exposure

Conduct epidemiology studies

Perform actions for reductions risk

Describe working environments

Product safety Human Ressources

Occupational HealthBusiness Intelligence

Industrial Hygiene

CC-HSE – sujet – date 2009 10

© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.

The industrial hygienistprevents risks due to exposure at the work station

11© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

What is industrial hygiene?

Aim of industrial hygiene:

Prevent exposures at the work station, from the design of

installations and for each worker concerned.

Design, prevention of emissions, leaks…

Personal protective equipment and

personnel monitoring

Work environment control and inspection (ventilation, noise…)

Regulatory requirements and work

station analyses

12© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Inventory of chemical products and non chemical agents, their physico-chemical and toxicological properties

Solvay methods and tools for the evaluation of work station risks

Exposure risks at each work station: chemical, physical, biological or ergonomic risks

Local and international standards or standards defined or adopted by Solvay (TLV, SAEL, …) in the absence of regulations

What industrial hygiene data will Medexis contain?

13© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Evaluation of health risks

How does the industrial hygienist evaluate risks?

Standardised tool: “Exposure Assesment-tool”

Evaluation of all work station risks

Validated method, conforming to international best practice

Includes exposure data for each work station

Applied to all Solvay sites

14© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Industrial hygiene in Medexis

Industrial hygiene data → Medexis database

Information collected and available

Risk knowledge at individual and collective level

“Good practice” sharing

Definition of best risk prevention strategies

Quality procedure

Who uses the industrial hygiene data in Medexis ?

The hygienists, occupational physicians, management and “Health, safety and environment” managers of the Solvay Group

CC-HSE – sujet – date 2009 15

© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.

The occupational physicianprotects and monitors personnel health

16© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

What is occupational medicine?

Examination and preventive advice based above all on the person: state of health, medical history, age and type of work are the key factors.

Use of exposure data → adaptation of medical monitoring to each situation and choice of specific or complementary examinations.

Regulatory requirements, scientific

references…

Individualised medical monitoring:

examinations, biomonitoring

Aim of occupational medicine:Protect and monitor personnel health

17© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Industrial hygiene data → specific exposure risks at each work station

Individual “exposure risks profile” accessible to the occupational physician + knowledge of dangers from agents → determination of appropriate medical examinations and suitable medical monitoring

Medical monitoring also taking into account: hours, stress, physical and mental load, individual susceptibilities, pregnancy….

Use of industrial hygiene data by the occupational physician

18© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Medexis and the occupational physician

Use of Medexis by the occupational physician

Updating occupational medicine data

Medical examination and preventive advice based on: state of health, medical history, age, type of work...

Use of exposure data → suitable medical monitoring → specific or complementary examinations

Medexis: Best quality for examination content and medical monitoring

Electronic occupational health file = personal file, accessible to the occupational physician for my site, who is held to professional secrecy.

19© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

What will change for me?

Medexis: Computerised medical file → monitoring in different professional appointments → traceability of exposures, good information transmission and good conservation of all information.

Occupational health file1st consultation: medical and

professional questionnaire : Confidential Information needed for good

medical monitoring, personnel history and professional risk factors encountered throughout my career

Exposure reportAt the end of working for Solvay: personal report on exposures and the results of medical examinations supplied to the person concerned who can send them to his treating doctor

20© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Access Access to the occupational health file: only the occupational physician for

my site

Access to collective and anonymous health data: limited to the medical professions

Who has access to the medical data in Medexis?

ConfidentialityComputerised occupational health file: no change from the professional ethics viewpoint: confidentiality and continuity maintained

CC-HSE – sujet – date 2009 21

© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.

MEDEXISSecure combination of individual data

22© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Combining Medexis data

Individual data → combined, collective data

Combination of anonymous health and hygiene data for a large number of persons and sites → strengthened knowledge of risks and medical monitoring

“Inter-site” health monitoring: combination of observations of groups of persons on different sites→ better detection of any risks

Combined data → epidemiological studies: attempt to establish a cause and effect relation between a risk factor and a health effect

Combined data → health monitoring and epidemiological studies

23© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Computer security Combined data = anonymous: coded link to personal data only known by

the responsible occupational physician

Personal data secured by a set of computer provisions against unauthorised access, loss, alteration and theft.

Data combination and access to personal data

Consent from personnelAgreement for anonymous and coded use of my health data

Right to informationInformation on the results of studies

24© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Occupational health file protected by:

Laws relating to the protection of private life

Medical ethics: Occupational physician held to professional secrecy

Protection of private life

Deployment of Medexis in each country:Declaration of deployment of the Medexis project to the Privacy Protection Commission or a similar organisation and approval by it

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© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.

Introduction of Medexis

26© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Introduction of Medexis (1)

+/- 90 sites for industrial hygiene

+/-75 sites for occupational medicine

+/- 20 countries

At least 10 languages

+/- 300 users

• Doctors/nurses

• Hygienists

Medexis = worldwide project → all sectors and sites where Solvay

assumes responsibility for personnel health protection and prevention

27© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Introduction of Medexis (2)

2 parts:1. Introduction of the hygiene part2. Introduction of the medical part

Medexis is part of the 25 priority Solvay Group sustainable development objectives for the period 2008-2012

28© 2009, SOLVAY S.A. N.V.CC-HSE – subject – date 2009 

Personnel health: Solvay strategy

“Comply with legislation and Solvay guide values for chemical, physical, biological and ergonomic risks”

“Prevent risks at source”

“Evaluate the risks at each work station using a reliable, standardised method that allows comparison between work stations and sites”

“Guarantee the same level of health protection everywhere by harmonised medical monitoring throughout the Group”

“Provide personalised medical monitoring adapted to the risk profile of each work station and the individual characteristics of each worker”

cf. Report “Pour un Développement Durable 2008-2012” (~For Sustainable Development 2008-2012)

Questions?