Under current health and safety legislation, employers have a duty of care to prevent the ill-health of their workers. This is particularly relevant to those carrying out safety-critical work tasks. Safety critical work tasks involve activities that can place workers at risk, unless the person has full, unimpaired control of their physical and mental capabilities. As an Employer, you will need to decide whether an activity contains a safety-critical element, as an incapacitated worker might expose themselves or others to a significant risk of harm. Before someone starts safety-critical work it is good practice to check the person is fit. It is important that safety-critical workers are not suffering from medical conditions or undergoing any medical treatment which is likely to cause sudden loss of consciousness or incapacity, impairment of awareness, concentration, balance or coordination or significant limitation of mobility.
An example of job roles that would be deemed as safety critical are as follows:
•FLT Driver medicals
•Driver and Mechanical Handling Equipment Operator medicals
•Plant Operator medicals
•Scaffolder/Rigger medicals
•Roadside (high speed) worker medicals
•Tunnelling worker medicals
•Slinger/Signaller/Banksman/Traffic Marshall medicals
•Confined Space medicals
•Working at Heights medicals
Workers Health is accredited to carry out safety critical worker medicals for the construction industry and abides by CBH & HSE standards. We can conduct these medicals at your site or at one of our clinics. Please contact us for more information by emailing admin@workershealth.co.uk or by via our website Quick Contact request button.
N.B. The final decision to remove or prevent an employee from working in a safety critical role is ultimately the responsibility of the Employer.
