Australia National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers 2024 3.7: Communicating with the worker and treating professionals: advise the worker of the results and how their condition may impair rail safety work, helping them understand control, review and medication, give them a copy of the report, and take a conciliatory and supportive role while fully explaining the risks when they are unfit; keep an ethical relationship and continuity of care with the general practitioner and treating professionals, referring ongoing treatment and lifestyle issues to them, copying specialist reports to the GP, and contacting treating doctors only with the worker's consent; the final fitness decision rests with the operator

What does 3.7 require?

The Authorised Health Professional advises the worker of the assessment results and, where relevant, how their condition may impair their ability to do rail safety work, so the worker understands their condition, the control they can maintain over it, the importance of regular medical review and the need for medication, and gives the worker a copy of the report to support the discussion; when the worker is unfit the Authorised Health Professional is conciliatory and supportive while fully explaining the risks the condition poses to rail safety. The Authorised Health Professional maintains an ethical relationship with the worker's general practitioner and other treating professionals and continuity of care, refers ongoing treatment, lifestyle issues and questions of impairing medication to the general practitioner, asks that specialist reports and results be copied to the general practitioner, and obtains the worker's consent before contacting the general practitioner or specialist to clarify a condition. The final decision on fitness for duty or restrictions rests with the rail transport operator, taking the health advice together with anti-discrimination and retraining considerations.