Revisions to medical standards ‘will improve rail safety’ in Australia

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Proposed revisions to the medical standards for rail safety workers, released for public consultation, will contribute to improving rail safety in Australia, says the National Transport Commission (NTC).

“We’ve reviewed and revised the National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers to ensure it maintains currency with advances in medical knowledge and technology, as well as meeting the practical needs of rail operators and authorised medical professionals,” said NTC Chief Executive, Nick Dimopoulos.

“An important change we’re proposing is the introduction of a focus on how the symptoms of a person’s condition may affect their work, rather than just the diagnosis.

“This will mean a fairer application of the standards.”

For example, if a rail safety worker has been diagnosed with cancer, this ‘should not automatically trigger a health assessment’.

However, if they have experienced symptoms that could impact their capacity to safely carry out their duties, this may require them to be assessed.

Mr Dimopoulos said that the Standard has also been restructured to make it more user-friendly.

“We’ve removed a lot of repetition from the previous standard, so it is now clearer and more concise,” said Mr Dimopoulos.

“We’ve also restructured the Standard so it features a more logical flow of content – from risk assessment of rail safety tasks to application of the relevant health standards.”

The National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers aims to prevent work-related deaths and injury caused by medical conditions.

The Standard provides guidance to rail operators on how to monitor the health of rail safety workers and applies to all government, commercial, tourist and heritage rail operators.

Complying with the Standard will become mandatory if the proposed National Rail Safety Law which is currently open for consultation is approved in its existing form by Transport Ministers.

Rail safety workers are defined in the Standard as a worker undertaking rail safety work as described in state/territory rail safety legislation.

This can include an employee, contractor, subcontractor or volunteer performing work on a railway or tramway system.

The NTC worked closely with a project reference group comprising government, union, rail and medical industry stakeholders to review and update the Standard.

In addition, expert medical consultant advice was sought and feedback was considered from previous public consultations on the Standard.

The revised Standard, accompanying consultation document and proposed National Rail Safety Law can be downloaded from the NTC website.

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