Occupational Health retention schedule

This schedule covers all records kept by all staff in the Occupational Health Service. It does not cover Health and Safety records Health and Safety records Health and Safety records.

Description of Record	Retention Period	Reason for retention period	Notes
Corporate
UoE occupational health policies and procedures	until the next review is due and the new version replaces the old	To ensure foundations of practice	Policies and procedures are reviewed annually and updated accordingly. They are available to practitioners who work within the UoE OH department
General activities
UoE OH budget and invoices	6 years	To comply with HRMC and companies house	The accounts team, Head of Health and Wellbeing and administration have access to budget information when processing accounts.
General Correspondence	6 years	To comply with civil claim period	Correspondence will be reviewed after 5 years and if no requests for data have been made and the information is not medically relevant this will data will be destroyed.
Audit
Audit notes regarding occupational health clinical records and reports	6 years after termination of employment	To comply with civil claim period To comply with clinical governance procedures within the UoE OH department	The audit notes, which are identified to a case by a unique identifier only will be kept against a practitioners personal file by the Head of dept for the length of the practitioners employment plus 6 years Limited audit information relating to individual practitioners will be stored detailing whether audit criteria was met/ not met and subsequent actions taken.
Testing records, repair and service records, reports and action plans in relation to plant, equipment, machinery and processes.	Further inspection has taken place which renders the previous one obsolete + 6 years Statutory (minimum): Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations(PUWER) 1998, states to keep inspection and test reports until superseded, 6(3), or for power presses for 2 years after it was made s. 35.	PUWER 6(3) Civil law: Limitations Act:	Records are kept on the UoE OH ‘H-drive’
Training records
Training * UoE OH ‘H-drive’ * DSE assessments * Sign in sheets * Content of training courses	6 years	Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA)1974 and regulations made under it. Civil law – Limitations Act.	Records of training/signature sheets for staff will be kept either on the HR organiser or on the occupational health H drive only.
Risk assessments
Risk Assessments	Further assessment has taken place which renders the previous one obsolete + 6 years	Civil law: Limitations Act: Also: HASAWA and regulations made under it Management of health and safety at work regulations (MHSWR), Control of substances harmful to health	Risk assessment records are kept by the relevant business and department. Copy of risk assessment, when required, for health surveillance record kept by the employing business
Clinical information
Health Surveillance clinical records	40 years	Civil law: Limitations Act. Also: HASAWA and regulations,Control of substances harmful to health	All health surveillance records are kept on the Cohort occupational health system. Original copies of surveillance results are given to the employee. Any historic paper copies, not available electronically, are kept in a locked cabinet however plans are being made to scan these into the existing electronic OH document system. A health record is given to the line manager detailing whether employees are fit/ not fit and any adjustments advised
Clinical information contained from management referrals	At least 6 years unless deemed of medical importance to retain them	HASAW Act, MHSWR regulations	All clinical information is retained and stored as advised in the Data Protection Act 2018

Freedom of Information Team Information is available on request.

Email: foi@essex.ac.uk

University of Essex
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Colchester CO4 3SQ

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