Your medical records and employee information: What are you allowed to do with it?

Your medical and personal records are yours. But what about access, copies and retention periods? And what if you want data amended or deleted? We list it clearly and hassle-free for you.

Right to view: what are you allowed to view?

As an employee you have the right to receive a copy of your medical file. You also have the right to get access to all other data about you and stored at Zorg van de Zaak. This is regulated in Civil Code 7, article 456 and in article 15 of the AVG (privacy legislation).

This includes:

Personal information (NAW, BSN, employer, etc.)
Absence data
Medical records (from the company physician or other health and safety professionals)
Health questionnaires and biometric data
Process files of professionals such as case managers or employment experts
Reports on Sickness Absence and prevention (think problem analysis or feedback letters)
Old medical records from previous systems (such as d'Arbois, AT5/AMG, Prios, etc.)

How do you request inspection?

Submit a request to the company doctor or the Medical Desk. This can be done by phone or in writing.
You will receive an email with an authorization form and explanation of the procedure.
Complete the authorization, sign it and return it along with a copy of your ID. (Note: we never store your ID!)
Indicate which records you want to see:
- Only the medical record
- Also litigation files and correspondence (such as UWV documents, intervention reports, etc.)
Your request will be processed within four weeks (preferably within two weeks).

💡 Good to know: The company doctor must screen the file before you receive it.

How do you get your file?

There are three secure ways to receive your file:

Pick up in person - after identification at the Medical Office.
Through the company doctor - who personally hands you the file.
Secure emailing - through an encrypted healthcare email service.

In addition, we can of course send your medical by post - registered and in a double envelope with 'MEDICAL SECRET' on it. We just prefer not to do this because in the past we have found that the envelope does not always arrive properly.

Caution! Your file should never be sent to your employer or case manager, even if you give permission.

Update or destroy your file?

Mistake in your file? You may always ask for corrections if the information is incorrect. The doctor will then assess whether or not he can and may change it and report back to you.

Delete records? You may, unless the data is still needed for your treatment or a legal retention requirement applies.

The legal retention period for medical records is 20 years. Other employee and absence records are covered by the AVG and must also be carefully managed.

The retention periods within ZekerArbo

ZekerArbo adheres to the legal retention periods. If there is no legal retention period, ZekerArbo does not retain data longer than necessary for the performance of the task.

By law, ZekerArbo is required to keep medical records for 20 years.
In special cases, this can be 30 to 40 years* from the day of the last change in the record (or longer if a claim or lawsuit is pending or so much shorter if client requests destruction).
By law, ZekerArbo is required to retain financial data for 7 years from the end of the calendar year.
Sickness Absence and reintegration records in the context of the Wet verbetering Poortwachter are kept ZekerArbo up to a maximum of 2 years after leaving employment or after the end of the agreement with the client, or so much longer if a claim or lawsuit is pending or so much shorter if the person involved requests to destroy it. Exceptions for longer retention periods also apply if there is a high probability that employee will drop out for the same Sickness Absence or the file contains permanent agreements.
If you as a client are self-insured, a retention period of 5 years after the end of employment applies. For Work resumption partially disabled (WGA) files, a retention period of 10 years after the end date of employment applies.
Emails are retained for up to 1 year after receipt.
Camera images are kept for a maximum of 4 weeks.
Standard log data are not kept longer than necessary. Insofar as the Occupational Health Service ZekerArbo qualifies as a healthcare institution under the Wkkgz, the log data of medical records will be kept for at least 5 years from writing relevant log line.

Want to know what the retention periods are for data that ZekerArbo processes through its websites? You can find that under 'Information for website visitors'.

*Preservation of medical records may differ from 20 years if exposure to hazardous substances is involved.

More info: see our privacy statement

AVG and your rights

The AVG regulates how your personal data is processed. This means, among other things:

You have the right to inspect and obtain a free copy of your file (except in the case of excessive requests).
Your data may only be processed and stored for a legitimate purpose.
You may take your data with you to another health care provider (data portability).

Summary: What should you remember?

You have the right to access all data processed about you.
An authorization and ID check are required to retrieve your information.
Your request will take up to four weeks to process.
You can receive your record by picking it up yourself, receiving it through the company doctor or secure email, or possibly having it sent by mail.
Corrections and destruction are possible under certain conditions.

Have questions or want to make a request? Contact the Medical Help Desk!