Medical examinations
Healthy employees make for a strong organisation. But not everyone is in great health or fit to work, and many jobs involve specific health risks. Employees have longer careers, the workforce is ageing and certain profiles are scarce. That is why health monitoring is crucial.
As an employer, you must identify the risks and complaints in good time and provide for mandatory medical examinations. Depending on the role, this ranges from periodic examinations to specialised examinations. Find out what health monitoring implies for your organisation.
Go to: Make, cancel or change an appointment - Contact the occupational doctor
On this page :
- What is a medical examination and what are the benefits?
- Who must undergo a mandatory medical examination?
- When must there be medical examination?
- Which types of examinations does IDEWE perform?
- May employees request medical examinations themselves?
- How often must a preventive medical check be performed?
- What does a medical examination involve?
- How long does a medical examination take?
- How can I make, cancel or change an appointment?
- Where does the medical examination take place?
- Why do I need to complete a questionnaire before the medical examination?
- Where can I view the results of my medical examination and find the certificates?
- How do I - as an employee - contact my occupational doctor?
What is a medical examination?
Medical examinations are performed by IDEWE’s medical team and range from a preventive medical check to extensive fitness tests, depending on the employee's role and exposure to risks.
They are performed when an employee joins the company, on a regular basis preventively for high-risk positions or after a long absence due to illness or accident.
The aim is to ensure that employees are in good health when they start work and stay healthy at work.
Who must undergo a mandatory medical examination?
A medical examination is mandatory for safety roles, jobs requiring increased vigilance and activities involving a specific risk.
- Employees in high-risk professions: exposed to hazardous substances, noise, extreme temperatures or physical risks.
- Safety roles: employees who, in the performance of their duties, may compromise the safety of other employees.
- Roles requiring increased vigilance: roles that require constant vigilance, such as in security.
As health monitoring is mandatory for these employees, we refer to them as employees subject to a medical examination requirement.
Attention is also paid to pregnant women, breastfeeding employees, trainees, people with an occupational disability, etc.
When must a medical examination be carried out?
By law, a medical examination must be performed at specific times:
- When an employee joins the company: for safety roles, jobs requiring increased vigilance, or activities with a specific risk, an initial medical examination must be performed to assess whether you are physically and mentally fit for the job.
- Periodic examination: employees with a risk in the workplace, such as employees in a safety role, employees who lift loads or are exposed to hazardous substances (e.g., chemical products or asbestos) must undergo regular medical examinations for health monitoring purposes.
- After a long-term absence: employees subject to a medical examination requirement must undergo a medical examination prior to resuming work to determine whether you can return to your job safely. This is the case after an absence of four weeks or more due to illness, accident or pregnancy.
- In the event of a change in job: if you switch to a role with different health risks, a new medical examination is mandatory to assess your suitability for your duties.
- In case of pregnancy or breastfeeding: for risk-exposed employees in order to check whether working conditions are safe for them and their baby. The employer receives advice from the occupational doctor, ensuring the risks are acceptable.
Not mandatory, but also possible:
- At the employer’s request: employers can request a medical examination for their employees in the event of occupational health concerns.
- Spontaneous consultation: every employee may request a spontaneous consultation with the occupational doctor in case of work-related health complaints or as part of the measures in the reintegration plan.
- Examination prior to resumption of work: all employees may visit the occupational doctor at their own request during a period of incapacity for work.
- Reintegration assessment: employees in a reintegration process receive an invitation for a reintegration assessment. During this assessment, the occupational doctor will determine whether the employee can resume the agreed work. The doctor assesses whether the employee can resume work based on the employee's state of health and capacities, and determines the conditions and modalities that the work and/or workstation must meet.
- Examination to determine permanent incapacity for work: the occupational doctor determines whether the person is definitively unfit for the agreed work or not.
May employees request medical examinations themselves?
Any employee may request a medical examination. This is called a spontaneous consultation.
This is possible in the following situations:
- following health problems that the employee or the treating physician believes to be work-related,
- if the employee feels that all or part of the measures of the reintegration plan no longer correspond to the employee's state of health.
Contact your regional IDEWE office to schedule a spontaneous consultation.
How often must a preventive medical check be performed?
The frequency of a preventive medical check depends on the risks to which employees are exposed. More information in Codex – Book I – Title 4 – Measures relating to employee health monitoring.
Appendix 1 of the Royal Decree sets out the recommended frequency of periodic health monitoring for each occupational risk. The highest frequency applies for exposure to multiple risks. The occupational doctor can increase the frequency for specific situations.
For most risk codes, the periodic examination will take place every two years. In the meantime, additional medical procedures will be performed by the nursing expert under the supervision of the occupational doctor.
For the following risk codes, the annual health assessment continues to be indicated:
- carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic agents
- Class I and Class II ionising radiation (nuclear power plants, nuclear medicine, linear accelerators and radiotherapy)
- Compressed air (caisson and divers)
A spontaneous consultation is always possible.
What does a medical examination involve?
The examination consists of different steps:
1. Invitation and preparatory questionnaire
- The employee receives an invitation by text message.
- This contains a link to a digital questionnaire with questions about the employee's health.
- The questionnaire takes a few minutes to fill out. We recommend doing this before the medical examination.
2. The medical examination proper
- Is performed by the IDEWE medical team.
- The IDEWE medical team reviews the completed questionnaire.
- Depending on the employee's role and exposure to risks, specific examinations are performed.
- Takes place on your employer’s premises or at an IDEWE examination centre.
3. Evaluation and discussion
- The IDEWE medical team discusses the results.
- If issues are detected, the employee is referred to the occupational doctor, depending on the type of examination.
4. Results and follow-up
- The results are saved in the employee’s personal file. Your employee can find the results on the My IDEWE Personal online platform. Your employee can also find the necessary forms and certificates drawn up by the occupational doctor on this online platform.
- If necessary, the occupational doctor will advise on adjustments or further guidance.
5. Further guidance:
After the examination, the occupational doctor remains available for further guidance, e.g., in the event of reintegration or other work-related health issues.
How can I make, cancel or change an appointment?
Appointments for a medical examination are made in accordance with the agreements between your employer and IDEWE. Ask your employer or your regional IDEWE office how to do so.
As an employer, you can manage appointments via:
As an employee
You may request a medical examination yourself:
You may request a medical examination yourself if:
- you are experiencing health symptoms which you or your treating physician believe to be work-related.
- if you feel that all or part of the measures of your reintegration plan no longer correspond to your state of health.
To change or cancel an appointment
- Contact your regional IDEWE office.
- Change or cancel your appointment at least 48 hours in advance through your regional IDEWE office. In the event of late cancellation or non-cancellation, your employer may still be charged for the appointment.
Overview of your appointments
- Are you an employee? You can view your appointments in My IDEWE Personal.
- Are you an employer? Go to 'My Personnel' in your My IDEWE Professional (client area).
Where does the medical examination take place?
Medical examinations can be organised:
- on the company premises;
- at IDEWE Group’s examination centres.
Why do I need to complete a questionnaire before the medical examination?
Every medical examination is preceded by a digital medical questionnaire. This is a mandatory part of the medical examination (Codex I.4 Health monitoring of employees).
The questionnaire consists of some 20 questions about your health and takes only a few minutes to complete. See which questions are asked.
You will receive a text message with important information one week before your appointment. Soon after, you will receive another text message with a link to your personal medical questionnaire.
If you complete the questionnaire in advance, the examination will be more efficient and this will also improve quality. The medical team can prepare for the examination and discuss your specific concerns in more detail.
The answers are sent securely, ensuring your data is protected.
They are stored in your personal health file, which may be accessed by only the IDEWE medical team. Your employer does not have access to this information, which guarantees your privacy.
Where can I view the results of my medical examination and find the certificates?
You can consult your medical file in My IDEWE Personal. It contains information about your vaccinations, certificates, a health assessment form, the contact details of your IDEWE prevention team, etc.
My IDEWE Personal, your wellbeing platform
Do you want to give your employees an insight into their health data? Tell them to use My IDEWE Personal. With this free online platform, your employees are able to monitor their wellbeing. Find out more about My IDEWE Personal.
How do I - an employee - contact my occupational doctor?
Is your employer affiliated with IDEWE?
Here you can ask questions and get information about your health, your wellbeing risks and find useful dates and documents (certificates, medical appointments, vaccinations, etc.).
No access to My IDEWE Personal?
Go to personal.idewe.be and log in through itsme.
Is your employer not affiliated with IDEWE or are you unsure whether it is?
- Use Seed-connect to find out which occupational doctor has been assigned to your company.
You may always contact your occupational doctor for advice or to answer questions about illness and health.
All the information that you share with the occupational doctor is strictly confidential and covered by medical privacy.
The occupational doctor works independently and guarantees that your privacy is respected at all times.
Why choose IDEWE?
- Bespoke medical examinations: We tailor our medical examinations to the specific needs and risks of your organisation and employees.
- Experienced medical experts: Our qualified occupational doctors and nursing experts have years of experience and work with the latest techniques to ensure that every examination is thorough and efficient.
- Local presence: With 11 regional offices, we offer fast and personal service, with knowledge of local living conditions at work and regulations.
Choose IDEWE and work with a reliable partner that ensures compliance with legal obligations and actively contributes to your employees’ wellbeing and productivity.
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