Updated on
24/11/2025
Occupational Health Service
What is an 'occupational health service'? - An occupational health service is a mandatory healthcare system that delivers preventive medical care and workplace safety guidance for employees in Luxembourg. These medical surveillance programs are essentially preventive in nature, focusing on protecting worker wellbeing through health screenings, hazard assessments, and safety consultations rather than treating illnesses.
What are the main responsibilities of workplace health providers? - Medical surveillance services in Luxembourg deliver several key functions:
- Identifying occupational hazards and health risks, helping prevent these dangers at their source while evaluating unavoidable workplace exposures
- Monitoring environmental factors that impact employee wellbeing, including noise pollution, toxic gases, chemical fumes, and hazardous radiation
- Conducting mandatory pre-hiring health screenings for all new staff members
- Recommending optimal workspace design, equipment selection, and ergonomic workplace layouts
- Performing regular health check-ups for workers in high-risk positions
- Offering guidance on industrial hygiene, occupational ergonomics, and workplace safety protocols
Why are workplace health providers essential for employers? - Every Luxembourg employer must affiliate with a medical surveillance provider or establish their own internal health department. These preventive healthcare systems are vital because they help companies fulfill legal obligations for worker protection, minimize occupational injuries and work-related diseases, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain a healthy, productive workforce. Non-compliance can result in substantial penalties.
What medical surveillance options are available in Luxembourg? - Luxembourg offers several workplace health provider options for companies:
- Multi-sector Occupational Health Service (Service de Santé au Travail Multisectoriel - STM) - the largest medical surveillance provider covering most industries
- Occupational Health Association for the Tertiary and Financial Sector (Association pour la Santé au travail des secteurs Tertiaire et Financier - ASTF)
- Industrial Occupational Health Service (Service de Santé au Travail de l'Industrie - STI)
- Internal workplace health departments for large corporations (those employing over 5,000 workers or between 3,000-5,000 with at least 100 in hazardous roles)
How do companies affiliate with medical surveillance providers in Luxembourg? - Employers who don't organize internal workplace health departments and don't participate in inter-company medical services must join the multi-sector provider. Companies register by completing appropriate membership applications for their chosen healthcare provider. Contribution payments are automatically deducted by the Joint Social Security Centre alongside regular social contributions.
What are the investment costs for workplace health programs? - Medical surveillance fees vary by healthcare provider:
- STM contribution rates are published annually in the Official Journal B (Mémorial B) and approximate 0.11% of total payroll
- STI annual membership fees are set during yearly general meetings at approximately 0.10% of gross wages
- ASTF charges a flat rate of EUR 45 per employee annually
How does Luxembourg enforce workplace health compliance? - The national medical surveillance system operates under Ministry of Health oversight, with the Health Minister revoking authorizations when requirements aren't met or when providers fail to fulfill legal obligations. Companies failing to comply with pre-hiring health screening provisions face imprisonment of 8 days to 6 months and/or fines ranging from EUR 251 to EUR 25,000.
Synonyms: Workplace health service, industrial medicine service, employee health monitoring service, preventive healthcare provider