Spirometry

Spirometry tests are used to measure how well your lungs work. They check the air you inhale, exhale and expel from your body quickly or slowly. A doctor then analyses this information to diagnose an array of lung conditions, ranging from asthma to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Spirometry may also be periodically performed on yourself so that doctors can see whether treatment for COPD has been effective at making it easier for you to breathe better each day.

Pre- Employment Requirement

Workers are constantly exposed to various irritants, but this exposure can have negative consequences on the lungs. For example, due to prolonged exposure to certain substances and chemicals, workers may experience lung restriction or obstruction. Lung restriction occurs when the chest’s elastic properties decrease, limiting the lung’s capacity to expand.

Not all lung damage happens on the job. Smoking cigarettes, inhaling dust or particulates, gases or other air contaminants can cause impaired lungs. Conditions such as asthma and COPD also impact your respiratory system somehow, which is why regular testing could help protect you when it comes to these risks that happen outside of work hours.

Your employer can protect you from respiratory risks by monitoring your lung function through regular spirometry testing. This allows them to identify any hazardous exposures in the workplace, which otherwise may not have been detected and therefore could have gone on to cause even more long-term health problems for both you and your company.

Spirometry Test at The Ridge Medical Centre

We have the latest technology and equipment to perform a Spirometry test that measures the lungs’ air capacity. It also assesses how much one can breathe out in 1 second after taking a deep intake breath.

Our in-house specialist will make this test easier and more friendly for you. They’ll show the results and analyse them to understand your condition better and provide a customised treatment plan.

Our on-staff specialists are explicitly trained to analyze these tests with sensitivity towards individual needs to guarantee patient safety.

FAQ's About Spirometry

It’s important to know that regular testing for potential respiratory harm in the workplace is an excellent way to keep your lungs healthy and avoid unnecessary symptoms. To do this, your employer must monitor you and the other employees who work with you daily. In addition, early diagnosis allows employers to protect workers from harmful environments and implement changes where needed before long-term damage occurs.

Spirometry testing is often required for workers in physically demanding jobs requiring respirators or exposing them to breathing hazards. In addition, employers may send you spirometry tests if your job has been making you show signs of difficulty while on the job or even with fittings.

The regulations that require spirometry testing for occupational health are in place to protect workers from harmful substances.

The Occupational Health Services Australia (OHSA) requires employers of employees exposed to asbestos, cadmium, coke oven emissions or cotton dust through work-related activities to provide a medical surveillance program as part of their job safeguards, which includes spirometric tests on respiratory functions such as forced vital capacity and peak flow measurements every five years.

For employees exposed to formaldehyde and benzene levels that necessitate the use of a respirator, pre-assignment pulmonary function testing is also mandatory. These tests ensure you have no existing condition exacerbated by wearing respiratory protection or exposure to respiratory hazards at work.

Continuous lung function testing confirms your safety equipment and the workplace’s other protective measures, like ventilation systems, effectively prevents hazardous substances from entering your lungs.

For any employee with high exposure rates to these two chemicals (formaldehyde and benzene) requiring them to wear a mask when they come on-site, there will always be rigorous annual checks before assignment about whether their health conditions allow this type of work without putting themselves at risk, otherwise.

For serious injuries and illness,

call an ambulance on triple zero (000) or visit your nearest hospital emergency department.

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