Issuance of Circular providing guidance on medical examinations for employees before job assignment

This Circular provides guidance on the management of occupational diseases, including: health examinations for workers before job placement, screening and detection of occupational diseases, and the collection, reporting, and statistics of occupational disease cases.

The circular specifies that the target group for pre-employment health examinations includes workers falling under the case specified in Clause 3, Article 21 of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene No. 84/2015/QH13.

Specifically, Clause 3, Article 21 of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene stipulates: Employers shall organize health examinations for workers before assigning them to work and before transferring them to more strenuous, hazardous, or dangerous jobs, or after recovering from a work accident or occupational disease and returning to work, except in cases where the Medical Council has already conducted an assessment of the worker’s reduced working capacity.

Workers who are subject to a pre-employment health examination must follow the contents of the Health Examination Form as prescribed in Appendix II issued together with this Circular.

In cases where the worker has already undergone a periodic health examination and received a valid health certificate under Circular No. 32/2023/TT-BYT dated 31/12/2023 of the Minister of Health, which provides detailed guidance on certain provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, a specialized examination shall be carried out according to regulations.

Depending on the worker’s job position, the occupational health practitioner shall prescribe appropriate specialized examinations corresponding to the harmful factors present in the workplace.

Paraclinical tests (laboratory tests, imaging diagnostics, functional examinations) shall be performed when indicated by the practitioner to suit the harmful factors at the workplace.

According to the Circular, the subjects for occupational disease detection examinations are workers who work in environments exposed to factors that may cause occupational diseases, including those performing heavy, toxic, hazardous, or particularly heavy, toxic, and hazardous jobs, as well as workers exposed to other harmful factors as prescribed by occupational safety and hygiene laws.

The timing for occupational disease detection examinations is six months after exposure to factors with the potential to cause occupational diseases, as prescribed by law.

In cases where an acute occupational disease is suspected, the timing of the examination shall follow the recommendations of the competent authority, the employer, or the worker.

The Circular stipulates that, prior to the occupational disease detection examination, the employer or the worker must submit a complete set of records to the medical examination facility. Upon receipt of the complete records, the medical facility shall notify the employer or the worker of the time, location, and other necessary details related to the occupational disease detection examination.

In cases where an occupational disease is diagnosed, the medical examination facility must issue an Occupational Disease Medical Certificate and prepare a report on the worker diagnosed with the occupational disease.

After conducting the occupational disease detection examination, within 20 days, the medical facility must provide the results and the prescribed documents to the employer or the worker.

During the examination, it is necessary to collect complete information on the worker’s personal details, current health status, individual and family medical history, and the duration of exposure to harmful factors that may cause occupational diseases. This information must be recorded in the occupational exposure history section of the occupational disease detection record.

The examination must cover all contents according to the guidance on diagnosis and assessment of labor capacity reduction due to occupational diseases issued by the Minister of Health. Female workers must undergo a specialized gynecological examination as prescribed.

If a worker has already undergone a periodic health check and holds a valid health certificate, only a supplementary examination is required.

For occupational diseases not listed in the official occupational disease category eligible for social insurance, the examination must cover all specialized fields as prescribed by the occupational disease medical practitioner in accordance with the law on medical examination and treatment.

This Circular takes effect from February 15, 2026.