Australia National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers 2024 2.5: Authorising health professionals: use only Authorised Health Professionals registered with the AHP Program, who hold the required qualifications (AHPRA-registered medical practitioners for Category 1 and 2 assessments; registered nurses, occupational therapists or physiotherapists may be authorised for Category 3 only), have completed the competency-based training and annual re-accreditation, and have the competencies in Table 3; Category 3-only professionals work under medical supervision and declared conditions are signed off by a medically trained professional; in exceptional circumstances a Chief Medical Officer may approve another health professional case by case, specifying the examination, with the Chief Medical Officer making and signing the determination

What does 2.5 require?

Only an Authorised Health Professional authorised under the Standard may conduct a rail safety worker health assessment, although support personnel may take measurements such as visual acuity, audiometry, body mass index and blood pressure. Two types exist: those authorised for all assessments including Safety Critical Workers, and those authorised for Track Safety Health Assessments only. To be authorised a health professional must hold the qualifications (registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as a medical practitioner for Category 1 and 2 assessments; appropriate registered health qualifications such as nursing, occupational therapy or physiotherapy for Category 3 only), complete the AHP Program's initial competency-based training covering rail industry knowledge, the Standard, reporting, administration, ethics and interfacing programs, be registered on the AHP Program database and take part in annual online re-accreditation. A Category 3-only professional works under the supervision of a medically trained Authorised Health Professional, and fitness decisions for Category 3 workers who declare or are diagnosed with conditions that may affect track safety are made with direct oversight by a medically trained Authorised Health Professional who reviews treating doctors' reports and signs the report. Where an Authorised Health Professional cannot be secured, for example in a remote location, and timely certification would otherwise be prevented, a Chief Medical Officer may approve another health professional case by case, never as an ongoing arrangement, specifying the nature and extent of the examination and the task requirements; that professional gathers information and the Chief Medical Officer makes, signs and provides the fitness determination naming the examiner. The operator keeps its health professionals informed of changes to legislation, the Standard and its own policies, supplies the information needed for each assessment, subjects their performance to quality control, and addresses concerns through training and monitoring; complaints about an Authorised Health Professional go to the AHP Program.