Under the National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers, all rail operators in Australia must undergo a medical evaluation with qualified professionals. Rail Worker Safety Medicals are a medical assessment specifically conducted for rail safety workers under the national Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers. This screening assessment ensures that rail safety worker’s health is at the satisfactory level required to safety perform the job.
There are three different types of Rail Workers Safety Medicals. Each of the three types of assessments are based upon whether the employee is performing safety critical or non-safety critical work:
Category 1: Applies to rail safety workers who perform safety critical work and whose ill health may result in sudden incapacity or collapse leading to a serious incident affecting public safety or the rail network. The Category 1 Rail Workers Safety Medical includes:
- Questionnaire for Psychological Health
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale
- Alcohol AUDIT Questionnaire for alcohol use
- Hearing Assessment
- Vision Assessment
- General Health Assessment
- Drug and Alcohol screen (breath and urine analysis)
- ECG (heart check)
- Blood test.
Category 2: Applies to rail safety workers who perform safety critical work where sudden incapacity will not impact on the safety of the public or the rail network. The Category 2 Rail Workers Safety Medical includes:
- Audiometry
- Vision testing
- Musculoskeletal assessment
- General medical examination
- Drug and alcohol screening.
Category 3: Applies to rail safety workers who perform non-safety critical work and whose health and fitness does not impact directly on the rail network. However, they are required to protect their own safety and that of other rail workers. The Category 3 Rail Workers Safety Medical includes:
- Hearing (up to 2000 Hz)
- Vision
- Mobility
- Drug and Alcohol screen.