Health Surveillance or Health Monitoring is used to describe a testing program designed to detect changes in a worker’s health because of exposure to certain substances. This can include:

• asbestos
• a scheduled chemical^#, including lead (inorganic)
• any other hazardous chemical for which there is a valid test method for detecting health effects or exposure.

Many companies across a variety of industries are required by law to carry out Health Surveillance for their employees.  Generally, health monitoring must be provided if:

• a worker is using, handling, generating or storing hazardous chemicals, and
• the work is ongoing, and
• there is a significant risk to the worker’s health because of exposure.

Health surveillance usually includes baseline and then periodic monitoring. The baseline is generally conducted at the pre-employment stage (before you start a job) to establish a baseline from which changes can then be detected.

The frequency of ongoing monitoring varies with each hazardous chemical and the individuals who may be exposed, and this is decided in consultation with a supervising medical practitioner. Health monitoring is also recommended at the termination of work with a hazardous chemical, known as an ‘Exit Medical’.

By law, health surveillance must be carried out by or under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner with experience in health monitoring. KINNECT employs Occupational & Environmental Physicians and a team of highly trained Occupational Health Doctors to provide the specialist expertise necessary to oversee all our Health Surveillance assessments.

View further information about KINNECT’s clinical team.

Although we do track when employees are due for their next assessment, we don’t book these automatically. Your employer is responsible for monitoring when you are due for a health check and triggering the booking process with KINNECT.

In order to book you in for your health surveillance appointment we ask that you provide your availability so that we can source an appointment for you at a convenient time, but please be aware that we do need to book this in line with the employer expectations and clinic availability. The more available dates and times you provide, the easier the booking process will be.

We give you the opportunity to select days, times and locations that are convenient for you in our Availability link which you will receive by text message and email. Simply choose the times/dates that work for you and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Our aim is to have you booked in as soon as possible. If you are having trouble with the link, please call our bookings team on 1300 546 632 to confirm your availability.

No – you can’t just walk in.  You’ll need a referral from your employer for health monitoring. The bookings are generally pre-paid via a credit card or via an account. We don’t accept cash as a payment.

Chrome & Microsoft edge are most compatible browsers for these links. If you can, please try to use the links on a different browser or try another device. If the link is still unavailable or not working for you and you still need to provide your availability, please call our team on 1300 546 632 and our customer service team will be able to help you. If you are unable to complete the medical history or other paperwork via the link, please don’t worry. You can complete this on an iPad in the clinic on the day when you arrive for your appointment.

Availability is providing your preference for your booking and we do our best to book your appointment as per your availability. Your appointment is not secured until you get an email and text message confirmation with your appointment details. If we are unable to book you an appointment within your available days / times, we will contact you to discuss this.

We make every effort to book your appointment as soon as possible. Once the team has confirmed that the clinic can schedule your appointment/s on a particular day / time, you’ll receive confirmation of your appointment via text message and email. If you think you may have been missed, please contact our team on 1300 546 632.

Health Surveillance Medicals are mostly booked at KINNECT clinics or our large network of KINNECT Affiliate Clinics. Some employers request that if you are within an hour of a KINNECT clinic, you attend appointments there, rather than at a clinic that is more local to you. This is because it’s more expensive for the employer to book you in at an Affiliate clinic. In addition, not all clinics will be able to complete your assessment. We know this is sometimes less convenient, but hope you understand that’s why it happens this way.

Some Health Surveillance medicals assessments have different requirements which is why sometimes we need to make multiple appointments in order to complete your assessment. Some clinics cannot always complete all the services required. For instance, you may need to attend an appointment at a Radiology clinic if you need a Chest X-ray. Depending on where you are and what medical you’re having, you may need to attend for different parts of the medical in different locations.

We know that life happens and sometimes things come up. Just know that we have a cancellation / reschedule policy which means that if you cancel, need to reschedule or don’t turn up to your appointment, the employer (our client) may be charged a fee. This fee is usually higher the closer this is to the appointment date. While we can do our best to accommodate your availability, sometimes the decision to re-reschedule your appointment is not up to us but to your employer. We encourage you to carefully consider when you are available when we are setting up your appointment and advise that if your situation changes to get in contact with us as soon as possible.  Read more about our Cancellation and Reschedule policy.

We know it’s really hard to go without a tea/coffee/energy drink if that’s what you want, but you’ll need to make sure you don’t indulge ahead of your Health Surveillance Medical. Caffeine raises your heart rate and your heart rate and blood pressure is one of the things we are likely to be measuring in your health monitoring appointment. So that it doesn’t affect your result, it’s best to avoid it until after your appointment (and think of how much you’ll enjoy it then when it’s all done!).

There are four essential items to bring to your Health Surveillance Medical:

• Your photo ID,
• The details of any medication you are currently on or have taken in the last 14 days (including the name, dosage and when you last took it),
• Your glasses (if you wear them). If you wear contacts, please remove them prior to the assessment and wear your glasses on the day. If you can’t do this, make sure you bring with you saline and your container to remove the lenses at the appointment.
• Any medical clearances from any recent surgery you may have had within the last 6 months.

What ID do I need to bring?

The accepted forms of photo-identification are those that are issued by Government Authorities:

• Drivers Licence or Digital Drivers Licence (preferred method of identification)
• Proof of Age
• Student ID (government-generated, not from your educational institution)
• Australian Passport (must be valid)

Some assessments will specifically require you to bring a driver’s licence. You’ll need to make sure you bring your Driver’s Licence if you are having one of these medicals or if you drive as part of your role:

• Rail Medical
• Commercial / Dangers Goods Drivers Medical
• Driving Roles

As you may be asked to move around a bit, we require that you wear closed in shoes (ideally trainers or joggers – no thongs / sandals) and we recommend loose comfortable clothing that you can move easily in. You might be asked to remove some of your outer clothing for the examination (for instance, to check for hernias) so wearing appropriate underwear is absolutely essential!

If you can, please complete the medical history questionnaire and any other paperwork via the booking link if sent to you via email / SMS. Don’t worry if you can’t though. You can always complete this at the clinic on the day of your appointment.

Health Surveillance medicals can be very different, depending on what is required. They can take from 15 mins to 2 hours, depending on what tests need to be conducted. Where you need to have multiple appointments at different locations, it could take most of the day. Hopefully, the length of time you need to take out of your day will be clear from the information you receive from us so you can plan accordingly.

Different types of Health Surveillance assessments require different tests and there can be a great deal of variation in the type of tests undertaken. Common assessments included in a Health Surveillance assessment include:

• Audiometry test (hearing)
• Vision Testing (eyesight)
• Urinalysis (test of urine)
• General Medical Examination
• Medical History
• Instant Urine Drug and Breath Alcohol Screen (DAS)
• Spirometry (lung function)
• Blood pressure & Heart rate
• Blood test
• Chest X-Ray

KINNECT Clinics: If you have been booked in at a KINNECT clinic, you can visit our website to find out the locations of all of our clinics, including details of where to park on the following link: https://www.kinnect.com.au/our-locations/

KINNECT Affiliate Clinics: If you have been booked in at a KINNECT Affiliate clinic and you need assistance, please contact our customer service team via the live chat link.

Absolutely not. Under no circumstances will you have to pay for an appointment that has been scheduled and sent to you by KINNECT. This includes Radiology and Pathology appointments scheduled by KINNECT. Your referral form includes a Biller Code payable by KINNECT. If if you have any issues at your appointment with this not being accepted please call KINNECT immediately on 1300 546 632 and do not proceed with making payment for an appointment.

KINNECT has COVID-19 screening procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Please note that if you are booked to attend an appointment at a KINNECT Affiliate clinic you will also be required to follow their COVID-19 screening policies.  In certain locations, this may include including Rapid Antigen Testing.

Firstly, the results of your health assessment are not something we can discuss with you on the day. The results of all the tests that you’ve taken will have to be reviewed by our KINNECT Doctors and compared with your baseline or previous results.  The purpose of the review is to identify any adverse changes in your health so that preventative action can follow to ensure your safety at work.  The results of your assessment will be reviewed and given a ‘risk rating’ by our Doctors and forwarded to your employer. Even if there are certain risks identified, many jobs can still be done safely or modifications can be made to ensure safety.

It’s our aim to get your results processed as quickly as possible. Once they are compiled, they are forwarded to one of our KINNECT doctors for review. If you need X-rays, blood work or a Lungscreen, the results will take a little longer. Standard results are processed usually within 8 business hours, but it can take up to 72 business hours.

In Australia, the current ruling is that whoever pays for the medical gets the results. So, if you’re having a Health Surveillance Assessment, it will be your employer will get the results. The exception to this is Legislative Medicals (e.g. Coal Board Medicals) where the worker can access the results and the employer can only access some of the results. That said, if an abnormal result or incidental concern is identified, it is part of our Doctor’s duty of care to discuss this with you and refer you for treatment.

Unfortunately not, unless you’re having a Legislative Medical (e.g. Coal Board Medicals). If you are having a Legislative Medical, you can request access to your results and you can request a copy of your assessment once the review has been completed by the doctor. Please note though if an abnormal result or incidental concern is identified, it is part of our duty of care to discuss this with you and refer you for further treatment and/or investigation.

Sometimes during an appointment, an issue might arise which means we can’t complete the assessment. For instance, if you have raised blood pressure on the day we won’t be able to complete the step test. Other examples include where you may have had recent surgery or injury, or a disability. If the assessment is ceased for any reason, we might ask you to seek clearance from your GP before your medical can be rescheduled. If this is the case for you, we’ll give you further information about the next steps. Please refer to the letter that will be provided for instructions.

Sometimes the Doctors reviewing the results need further information in order to finalise the assessment. For instance, the doctor might note something in the results which indicates that additional information should be sought from a cardiologist or other specialist doctor. This is called Further Review. If this is the case for you, we’ll give you further information about the next steps. Please refer to the letter that will be provided for instructions.

KINNECT support’s your employer’s Health Surveillance program by conducting health surveillance assessments, monitoring results and tracking the next steps. We will notify your employer when you are next due for an assessment, however this will not be booked again until your employer confirms.  If you have an abnormal result, KINNECT’s doctors may be involved in advising and inputting on your treatment plan.  Furthermore, because it can take a very long time for some health issues to arise, we keep your records securely and confidentially stored on our military-grade servers, based in Australia, in case they are needed in future.

Your feedback is really important to us. When your medical is complete, we’ll send you a link by text message to a short form where you can provide feedback about your experience. If you have any issues that you want to discuss with us, please feel free to call our team on 1300 546 632.

If you are a looking for health assessment information for coal mine workers in QLD, you can visit the Resources Safety and Health Queensland website for further information: