Network rail medical query

[peter22445]

I'm currently in the process of changing careers and starting work on the railway doing track maintenance. I had my medical over a week ago now but have just checked on my sentinel and they have passed me but have 2 restrictions on my medical. One is that I have to be accompanied and can't work alone and the other is I need a risk assessment before work. The only thing the doctor mentioned was that I have slightly raised blood pressure and BMI was 35 and I also wear glasses however vision is fine. This seems slightly concerning as I now won't be able to carry out any duties on my own and won't be able to progress in my career to say a coss in a few years time. Can anyone confirm that what they've done is correct or can it be challenged? Have been trying to contact the Medical company but have had no answer as of yet

Thanks

 

[alxndr]

I'm currently in the process of changing careers and starting work on the railway doing track maintenance. I had my medical over a week ago now but have just checked on my sentinel and they have passed me but have 2 restrictions on my medical. One is that I have to be accompanied and can't work alone and the other is I need a risk assessment before work. The only thing the doctor mentioned was that I have slightly raised blood pressure and BMI was 35 and I also wear glasses however vision is fine. This seems slightly concerning as I now won't be able to carry out any duties on my own and won't be able to progress in my career to say a coss in a few years time. Can anyone confirm that what they've done is correct or can it be challenged? Have been trying to contact the Medical company but have had no answer as of yet

Thanks

I'm not certain on the current stance on BMI or blood pressure, but having to be accompanied shouldn't cause a problem when it comes to being a COSS. The only different it'll make is that you won't be able to do IWA (Individual Working Alone) once you get COSS, but that's quite unusual for most people except MOMs (Mobile Operations Managers) these days anyway.

My Sentinel card erroneously showed that I had to be accompanied when I first got COSS and it was no bother. Similarly, I know plenty of people who have ended up gaining a restriction for various reasons and kept their COSS.

 

[Sheffcaster202]

I'm currently in the process of changing careers and starting work on the railway doing track maintenance. I had my medical over a week ago now but have just checked on my sentinel and they have passed me but have 2 restrictions on my medical. One is that I have to be accompanied and can't work alone and the other is I need a risk assessment before work. The only thing the doctor mentioned was that I have slightly raised blood pressure and BMI was 35 and I also wear glasses however vision is fine. This seems slightly concerning as I now won't be able to carry out any duties on my own and won't be able to progress in my career to say a coss in a few years time. Can anyone confirm that what they've done is correct or can it be challenged? Have been trying to contact the Medical company but have had no answer as of yet

Thanks

Have you done your PTS yet? If so the learning support (blue hat) side of should have been explained?

The IWA part has been explained above, which as said isn’t something that people need often but until you have completed adequate shifts, collected entries in your log book from your COSS and had a manager review and been signed off on sentinel (issued a white hat) you work under learning support and wear a blue hard hat to identify you in a group.

Being signed off doesn’t mean you can go off completing tasks alone (which would be very unlikely anyway in a maintenance gang) but means you’re competent in safely working on the tracks and don’t need the added supervision that someone who’s in a blue hat needs

If you’re concerned about what your medical may say and why it has given any restrictions you could contact the medical company and ask for the report? Then once you have it contact your sponsor and see what the reasons behind it are and go from there

 

[peter22445]

Have you done your PTS yet? If so the learning support (blue hat) side of should have been explained?

The IWA part has been explained above, which as said isn’t something that people need often but until you have completed adequate shifts, collected entries in your log book from your COSS and had a manager review and been signed off on sentinel (issued a white hat) you work under learning support and wear a blue hard hat to identify you in a group.

Being signed off doesn’t mean you can go off completing tasks alone (which would be very unlikely anyway in a maintenance gang) but means you’re competent in safely working on the tracks and don’t need the added supervision that someone who’s in a blue hat needs

If you’re concerned about what your medical may say and why it has given any restrictions you could contact the medical company and ask for the report? Then once you have it contact your sponsor and see what the reasons behind it are and go from there

Yeah I understand I will be a blue hat for a little while. I guess I'm really just wanting to know if having that red triangle can put off employers giving you work as in is it going to hold me back with progressing my career. I'm pretty sure it's on there because of high blood pressure on the day I had the medical because that was the only concern. I will chase it up this week and see if I can get some answers though

 

[Sheffcaster202]

Yeah I understand I will be a blue hat for a little while. I guess I'm really just wanting to know if having that red triangle can put off employers giving you work as in is it going to hold me back with progressing my career. I'm pretty sure it's on there because of high blood pressure on the day I had the medical because that was the only concern. I will chase it up this week and see if I can get some answers though

Here is a document on what roles you can and cannot undertake if you have a red triangle on your profile

I’ve attached the link here too for you to read the whole document

Hope that helps!

 

[Dunnideer]

I'm currently in the process of changing careers and starting work on the railway doing track maintenance. I had my medical over a week ago now but have just checked on my sentinel and they have passed me but have 2 restrictions on my medical. One is that I have to be accompanied and can't work alone and the other is I need a risk assessment before work. The only thing the doctor mentioned was that I have slightly raised blood pressure and BMI was 35 and I also wear glasses however vision is fine. This seems slightly concerning as I now won't be able to carry out any duties on my own and won't be able to progress in my career to say a coss in a few years time. Can anyone confirm that what they've done is correct or can it be challenged? Have been trying to contact the Medical company but have had no answer as of yet

I wrongly had a red triangle put on my card instead of a ‘must wear glasses’ restriction after a routine medical a few years ago, I think the examiner ticked the wrong box. My line manager to sort it out on my behalf because Optima (or it might even have still been Bupa back then, I can’t remember exactly) and Sentinel both wouldn’t speak to me directly. As per above I carry out IWA duties so leaving it wasn’t an option.
I’d advise you to speak with your new line manager to see what their take on it is.

 

[Rigs1]

I have ADHD and take regular medication for it, I believe this is why I’ve got a red triangle on my sentinel card. Like Peter, I’m very wary that nobody is going to want to have me on for them. I’m literally brand new to railways I’ve completed PTS and track safety, small tools and OLEC L1 but am now really paranoid I’ve just wasted the best part of £1500 doing these courses if no company is going to want to employ me because of an illness I have? . I’ve read some of the comments above which seem more positive than negative but is there anyone who has experienced this from when they first started and still got work fine? Thanks guys.