These mandatory tests are performed in workplaces where people are exposed to hazardous substances, providing employers with a baseline for future reference, assessing employee fitness for work and establishing intervals for routine testing.

As an occupational health provider, we have seen our fair share of work-related conditions and know everything there is to know about them, so we thought it’d be handy to give our clients and their employees an insight into just what our services can prevent…

Factfile

• Lung function testing can be referred to with different terms, including Pulmonary function tests
• A pulmonary function test can take between 15 minutes and 1 hour, depending on how many tests are needed.
• Such tests measure how well your lungs are working, with the main test being called ‘spirometry’ – they do not hurt.

What?

Pulmonary function tests are a group of tests that measure how well the lungs take in and release air and how well they move gases such as oxygen from the atmosphere into the body’s circulation.

Why?

Pulmonary function tests are done to:

• Diagnose certain types of lung disease (such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema)
• Find the cause of shortness of breath
• Measure whether exposure to chemicals at work affects lung function
• Check lung function before someone has surgery

It also can be done to:

• Assess the effect of medication
• Measure progress in disease treatment

Such tests should be performed on all employees potentially exposed to irritant dusts, gases and vapours in the workplace. It’s advisable for employees working with acknowledged ‘respiratory sensitiers’, such as products known to cause occupational asthma, like isocyanates, ‘aldehydes’, flour and wood dust.

How?

By measuring how much air you exhale – and how quickly – spirometry can evaluate a broad range of lung diseases.

In the spirometry test, you sit and breathe into a mouthpiece that is connected to an instrument called a spirometer. The spirometer records the amount and the rate of air that you breathe in and out over a period of time.

When standing, some numbers might be slightly different. The most important issue is to perform the test always while at the same position.

What’s next?

Results come in the form of values, with values being based upon your age, height, ethnicity and gender. Normal results are expressed as a percentage and an abnormal value is usually one that is less than 80% of your predicted value (based on the aforementioned considerations).

TIP: Talk to the person issuing your test about your results if you require any further explanation or understanding about the values and how the test assesses your health.

Abnormal results usually mean that you may have chest or lung disease. Be aware that muscular weakness can also cause abnormal test results – even if the lungs are normal – similar to the diseases that cause smaller lungs.

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