Occupational Spirometry Course

Best practice recommends an update every three years, or sooner if guidance changes. Our 1-day Update course meets this requirement.

Most organisations refresh competence every three years or when guidance changes – our 1-day Update meets this need.

Yes. Anyone carrying out workplace lung-function testing must be competent and adequately trained to satisfy the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH Regulations.

This training is aimed at occupational health advisers, practice nurses, technicians and managers who conduct or supervise lung-function screening. It also benefits anyone needing formal competency certification or a structured refresher course for HSE audits or SEQOHS assessments. Multi-site teams will appreciate the consistent standards it delivers across Nottingham, Birmingham, Reading and the wider UK, including Harrogate, Bridgend, Poole, Colchester and Portlaoise.

• Technicians
• Occupational Health Advisors (OHA’s)
• Occupational Health Nurses (OHN’s)
• Registered Nurses
• Physicians (including Occupatonal Health Physicians (OHP’s)
• Health and Safety Managers

Our practical work on performing and interpreting results is completed using a variety of equipment that you will find within Occupational Health. Products that we train with include are the Mir Minispir, Mir Spirodoc, FIM Q13, NDD Easy-on, Vitalograph Alpha, Vitalograph Pneumotrac and more

These substances are typically called respiratory sensitisers and can include flour, paint, pollen wood dusts, col dusts, asbestos, welding fumes, silica dust, pharmaceuticals and metal working fluids to name a few. A respiratory surveillance programme needs to include both risk identification and occupational spirometry.

Yes, it is estimated that 15% of all asthma cases relate to workplace exposure to harmful substances.

https://www.som.org.uk/work-related-asthma-and-occupational-asthma-introduction

What is COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

COPD is an general name given to a group of lung conditions that cause airway breathing difficulties.

It includes:

• emphysema – damage to the air sacs in the lungs
• chronic bronchitis – long-term inflammation of the airways

COPD is a common condition that mainly affects middle-aged or older adults who smoke. Many people do not realise they have it.

The breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit your normal activities, although treatment can help keep the condition under control.

Yes, however, by far the main cause of COPD is smoking but research suggests occupational exposures are likely to play a role.

There are two ways you can look at what causes COPD in the workplace, including;

Occupations - where COPD is most common

Substances - that can cause COPD

https://www.hse.gov.uk/copd/causes.htm

How do I prepare for a lung function test?

• No coffee or energy drinks two hours before the test
• No smoking, vaping or water pipe usage one hour before test
• Try to not use an inhaler 4 hours before the test
• No restrictive clothing to be worn during the test
• No alcohol for 8 hours prior to the test

https://channel.ersnet.org/media-219-standardization-of-spirometry-2019-update-an-official-american-thoracic-society-and-european-respiratory-society-technical-statement

Spirometry requires a significant of patient effort.

Typically a slow breathing out manoeuvre (VC) is completed (x3 to check for consistency) and a fast, hard breathing out manoeuvre (FVC).

The operator will instruct you on posture and technique prior to the test. It is essential that you take big, deep breaths in prior to the above breathing out manoeuvres

Prior to completing spirometry, the examiner will go through a detailed list of contra indications to ensure that it is safe for you to continue with the lung function measurements

Once the questionnaire has been completed, with no possible contra indications present, the examiner will fit a new sealed bacterial viral filter mouthpiece onto the spirometer and discard the BVF mouthpiece once the testing is complete.

There will be detailed instructions on how to complete the test and you will normally be positioned in a chair during the test

A trained Occupational health professional who has attended an accredited occupational spirometry course will instruct you on how to complete the measurements

The difference between screening spirometry and diagnostic spirometry

Screening spirometry is typically completed within an occupational health setting or primary care setting.

Within an occupational health /workplace setting the requirement would be one of the following reasons

• To screen individuals at risk of having pulmonary disease
• Pre-placement and lung health monitoring for at risk occupations
• To assess health status before beginning “at risk” physical activities

Diagnostic spirometry is concerned with initially identifying respiratory disease states and typically involves closed loop testing where the test subject exhales and then inhales to complete the breathing loop.

The testing is completed by trained certified respiratory health professionals

Diagnostic spirometry is also used to monitor  respiratory disease progression levels in diseases such as COPD with the COPD Gold standard programme or with Asthma recovery levels

Diagnostic spirometry will also be used to identify patient sensitivity to certain substances

Diagnostic spirometry is not normally completed in an occupational health setting

Measurement acceptability:

Results are assessed for acceptability using the either the American Thoracic society / European respiratory society (ATS/ERS) 2019 standardisation of spirometry quality grading system or alternatively the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines may be used

Measurement assessment:

Typically, the individual measured and compared values for the PEF,  FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC are analysed.

• The FVC results is considered for a restrictive respiratory interpretation
• The FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC results are considered for an obstructive respiratory condition.

The Legal requirements for surveillance spirometry

Under the UK HSE Control of Substance Hazardous to Health regulations (COSHH), lung function health surveillance is legally required where employees are at risk of ill health from substances they can potentially inhale.

Absolutely – many clients bundle disciplines to streamline occupational health training courses. Ask us about a tailored package.