Is Basic Safety Critical Medical Important?
Safety Critical Environments
For people working in a safety-critical environment, maintaining health and ensuring their safety is paramount.
A safety-critical medical helps in determining an individual’s fitness for work by ensuring they are not suffering from any medical conditions or undergoing any medical treatment which could impact their health and safety.
Safety-critical jobs include plant operators, construction workers, and scaffolders.
What is Safety Critical Worker Medical?
Safety-critical medical is an in-depth medical assessment that ensures anyone undertaking a safety-critical job is medically fit to carry out the task by ensuring their health and safety.
People with health issues or ill health, who may fail to undertake a particular task, are defined as safety-critical. If the patient is suffering from a medical condition or is undergoing any medical treatment, he could be at a greater risk of losing consciousness, impaired awareness, concentration, loss of balance, coordination, and mobility.
Safety-critical jobs may impose significant limitation or restrictions if you are diagnosed with certain medical conditions. For instance, a person with a broad shoulder, chest, and waist width might be restricted from entering a confined space, a person with limb or movement disability cannot climb ladders or scaffolding and excess body weight and body mass index (BMI) restrictions comply with related restrictions. Hence, risk assessment of safety critical workers is a necessity.
Why safety critical medical is required?
Safety-critical medical assessments ensure the medical suitability for job roles that fall under the category of safety-critical.
These examinations identify any risks or possibility of a worker developing any health problem whilst carrying out their work. These tests ensure the employers that the person is healthy and medically fit for the role, and also helps in the early detection of any health condition.
It is a nesessity specially when is performing safety critical tasks.
Who should undergo a safety critical medical?
Safety-critical medical is advised for individuals who constantly work under significant risk to ensure the safety of themselves (safety procedures) and others working with them.
Some of the job roles under the safety-critical category includes:
Drivers – regardless of the kind of vehicle they drive, drivers are required to get a medical assessment to assess their health condition and to ensure the safety of themselves and the public.
Forklift truck operators – are accountable for transporting, loading, and unloading of heavy goods from distribution centres to the construction sites, and are advised to get a test to ensure their body fitness before and throughout employment.
People working at heights – need to have good balance and coordination, as the job includes the risk of falling and losing balance. The medical test can ensure the ability if of a person to perform the task without injuring themselves or others.
Confined space workers – work in spaces that involve hazardous substances, chemicals, or environment that lacks oxygen. Undergoing a medical assessment helps them assess their ability to work in such environments and avoid any foreseeable risks.
Night shift workers – a number of professions are required to work night shifts and is necessary to undergo a medical examination to ensure they are medically capable to perform their job as it involves high chances of changes in metabolism and body cycle which could impact overall health.
Lone workers – some of the job roles involve working alone without any assistance or supervision, and it is advisable to undergo a medical to determine an individual’s ability to work alone and mainly check if he has any heart condition or epilepsy.
What does safety critical medicals include?
The safety critical medicals vary based on an individual’s job and roles. However, some of the standard safety-critical tests include:
Basic questionnaire – GP or the doctor would ask questions regarding your health to understand if you have had any previous conditions.
Weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) test – to see if you are physically fit to perform the role.
Auditory or hearing test – a basic visual test of eardrum and ear canal using an otoscope to determine the hearing ability of a patient.
Vision or eyesight test – carried out for assessing the reading ability and detect any sensitivity of the patient.
Breathing or respiratory test – is a common breathing test performed using a spirometer to access an individual’s capacity to inhale and exhale and to diagnose any chronic illness.
Skin or dermatological assessment – performed to check for any skin irritation, reaction to substances, or other skin disorders.
Mobility assessment – performed to check the movements of muscles and joints.
Blood pressure (BP) check – to determine the pressure of the blood in your circulatory system with a BP machine based on the pace of the heartbeat and elasticity of the arterial walls and evaluate any risk of heart disease.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) – a non-invasive, painless test that monitors the electrical activity of the heart rhythm and determines the body’s reaction to stress.
Blood test – to evaluate normal functioning of kidney, heart, and liver.
Urine analysis – helps in tracking the infections in the urinary tract, kidney disorder and analyse for blood glucose levels.
However, additional tests can be conducted based on the requirement of the employer.
What documents should I carry for a safety-critical medical?
For a safety critical worker medicals, one should carry the following:
Photo ID proof
Glasses or contact lenses (if applicable) and your current prescription
Medical records of any existing medical conditions
Prescribed medications (if any)
How often do I need a safety-critical medical test?
A safety-critical medical assessment is performed by a registered Doctors at Barnetby Private Medicals. We issue a medical fitness certificate upon successful completion of the medical test.
However, a medical fitness certificate remains valid only when you renew the same once every 3 years if you are between the age of 18-54. You will require to undergo medical every 2 years if you are between the age of 55-64 years. If you are above the age of 65, you will be required to under medical annually to prove your medical fitness.
A safety-critical medical is recommended to every employee who works under critical roles which are listed as risky to ensure safe working practices and avoid any health hazards.
At Barnetby Private Medicals, we offer a wide range of medical services in addition to safety-critical medical tests. Book your appointment today.