Travel Health & Work Related Vaccination

Employees continue to be encouraged to submit their travel health assessment forms to Occupational Health. This will be logged on the OH record and these staff will be contacted on their return to record any vaccinations that have been administered by an external provider and provide any health advice, where required.

The following list of external travel clinics are examples of those currently operating, they can be contacted for vaccination and country specific travel advice. This list is not exhaustive and clinics hold no affiliation with The University of Edinburgh. Individuals may also wish to contact their own GP.

·         NHS Lothian Travel Clinic, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, 0131 537 2823

·         TrExMed Travel Clinic Edinburgh, 43 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, 0131 278 3007   

·         Edinburgh Travel Clinic, Newington Pharmacy, 46-50 Clerk Street, Edinburgh, 0131 667 2368

·         HealthLink360, Elphinstone Wing, Carberry, Musselburgh, 0131 653 6767

If you have a Travel Health related enquiry, we would encourage contact to be made via email correspondence to occupational.health@ed.ac.uk.  This inbox is monitored on a regular basis during our office hours. Please be aware there may be a delay in responding to you.

Vaccination is only one risk reduction measure available to protect against exposure to Hepatitis B. In the absence of vaccination, managers, local health and safety and employees must ensure that all other risk reduction measures, as identified by  CoSHH risk assessment, are in place to ensure no inadvertent exposure to the Hepatitis B virus during work.

In the COSHH hierarchy of control measures, immunisation as protection against infection at work is the last line of defence and other controls should be available. However, for workers potentially exposed to blood-borne viruses, such as healthcare and biomedical laboratory staff, immunisation is an appropriate additional measure.

HSE Blood borne viruses Immunisation

There needs to be a risk assessment of the work being undertaken and those requiring vaccination should be presented to OHS. If you have a Hepatitis B related enquiry, we would encourage contact to be made via email correspondence to occupational.health@ed.ac.uk.  This inbox is monitored on a regular basis during our office hours. Please be aware there may be a delay in responding to you.

All individuals using sharps items or substances with an infection risk should receive appropriate instruction and training on how to work safely when handling glass and sharps and, in particular, undertake a risk assessment, how to avoid needle stick/sharps injury and splashes and what to do in the event of such an incident, following the guidance and links to H&S Department information and from Bio Safety Unit.

What to do in the event of such an incident, following the guidance and links to H&S Department information and from Bio Safety Unit

Health & Safety Department Biosafety Unit

Biological Agent Risk Assessment

Sharps, glass and splashes from substances

Needlestick Injuries and Prevention of HIV Infection Factsheet

Post Exposure Prophylaxis (Pep) Information

Testing for Blood Borne Viruses Information

Other links to relevant information include:

HSE Blood-borne viruses in the workplace Guidance

Search HSE website blood borne viruses (bbv)

Please find the link below for travel on behalf of the University;

Travel, Fieldwork & Outdoor Teaching