Safety critical work and mental health

[Jonnyboy84]

Can someone who is bipolar work in a safety critical capacity?

 

[Mutant Lemming]

I think it would depend on it's severity or if any (even the slightest) symptoms of psychosis are present - along with of course any medication prescribed that would preclude you from operating machinery.

 

[Jonfun]

It'd all come down to a medical examiner's assessment of your condition - though they're not known for pulling people off the job if they can avoid it. Some medication might preclude you from conducting safety critical work. But there are plenty of traincrew suffering from mental health issues or have in the past, so I wouldn't worry. Indeed, depression etc is really common in the industry.

 

[Jonnyboy84]

Luckily no psychosis present so so long as I can get the right medication for the job it shouldn't be a problem

 

[big all]

It'd all come down to a medical examiner's assessment of your condition - though they're not known for pulling people off the job if they can avoid it. Some medication might preclude you from conducting safety critical work. But there are plenty of traincrew suffering from mental health issues or have in the past, so I wouldn't worry. Indeed, depression etc is really common in the industry.

employers have a duty off care to look after employees but that's very different to accepting a new employee or a present employee to a different roll
now i havent got a clue how this will effect the situation but just saying new entrants need to in general be fitter than the minimum
where as present staff can be patched up and repaired

 

[Seejwalker]

I have messaged you mate

 

[Seejwalker]

If anyone on here wants any advice on this subject please feel free to private message me and I will offer advice based on a personal experience as best I can.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

And who knows on the day of the medical, where you are on the mood cycle "on the day".

 

[Jonfun]

employers have a duty off care to look after employees but that's very different to accepting a new employee or a present employee to a different roll
now i havent got a clue how this will effect the situation but just saying new entrants need to in general be fitter than the minimum
where as present staff can be patched up and repaired

They'd be on really shakey territory if they tried not giving a job to someone owing to a long term medical condition when others suffer the same medical condition and are allowed to do the job with no restrictions.

 

[Seejwalker]

They'd be on really shakey territory if they tried not giving a job to someone owing to a long term medical condition when others suffer the same medical condition and are allowed to do the job with no restrictions.

I think it's all on a case to case basis, there are so many variables and the occupational doctors will treat each one differently. All they can do is gather as much info on a person as they need and make a decision from that.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

They'd be on really shakey territory if they tried not giving a job to someone owing to a long term medical condition when others suffer the same medical condition and are allowed to do the job with no restrictions.

I think it's all on a case to case basis, there are so many variables and the occupational doctors will treat each one differently. All they can do is gather as much info on a person as they need and make a decision from that.

...though the safety of the travelling public should remain paramount. The whole ethos of maintaining a safe public transport system relies on identifying and eliminating risks and those risks must include the mental stability of any staff members. I kind of gathered that the OP question was more about someone applying for a role as opposed to a present incumbent. With there being so many applicants most organisations can pick and choose and even if there were no restrictions it is unlikely someone with a mental health issue would be appointed ahead of someone else who didn't have any.

 

[Aictos]

I think it's all on a case to case basis, there are so many variables and the occupational doctors will treat each one differently. All they can do is gather as much info on a person as they need and make a decision from that.

Indeed, there are some cases in which you cannot perform any safety critical duties in which the company concerned would usually find you non safety critical duties that you can do rather then have you on long term sick which they do try to avoid where possible.

You are right though that every case is seen on a one to one basis but as long as you're honest with them, they really do try to do their best to help you and I say that with personal experience.

 

[Seejwalker]

...though the safety of the travelling public should remain paramount. The whole ethos of maintaining a safe public transport system relies on identifying and eliminating risks and those risks must include the mental stability of any staff members. I kind of gathered that the OP question was more about someone applying for a role as opposed to a present incumbent. With there being so many applicants most organisations can pick and choose and even if there were no restrictions it is unlikely someone with a mental health issue would be appointed ahead of someone else who didn't have any.

Well thankfully it doesn't have to be disclosed until a formal offer had been made and you are sent for a medical. It certainly saves people from discriminatory views like this.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Well thankfully it doesn't have to be disclosed until a formal offer had been made and you are sent for a medical. It certainly saves people from discriminatory views like this.

It's just plain reality but do you really think if someone is unstable they should get the job ?

 

[Seejwalker]

It's just plain reality but do you really think if someone is unstable they should get the job ?

Not once has anyone said they are unstable, I also assume you're not qualified to make any judgement, and lastly 1 in 4 people suffer with a mental illness, if we weren't employable then hardly anyone would have a job. To put that into a simple example, network rail employs 30 thousand people, in theory 7.5 thousand of those people suffer with a mental illness.
It's also one of the nine protected characteristics.

 

[Andrew S]

The use of the word "unstable" in this context is a little odd and perhaps unhelpful, really.

I work in a very different sector to the railway but in some ways the pressures are slightly similar. Also, awareness of, and support for mental health concerns has, until recently, been minimal. Now that we are hopefully becoming aware and informed, attitudes are changing and the norm seems to be to support people when they need it. I hope the railways are similarly disposed.

 

[Seejwalker]

The use of the word "unstable" in this context is a little odd and perhaps unhelpful, really.

I work in a very different sector to the railway but in some ways the pressures are slightly similar. Also, awareness of, and support for mental health concerns has, until recently, been minimal. Now that we are hopefully becoming aware and informed, attitudes are changing and the norm seems to be to support people when they need it. I hope the railways are similarly disposed.

He knows.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Not once has anyone said they are unstable, I also assume you're not qualified to make any judgement, and lastly 1 in 4 people suffer with a mental illness, if we weren't employable then hardly anyone would have a job. To put that into a simple example, network rail employs 30 thousand people, in theory 7.5 thousand of those people suffer with a mental illness.
It's also one of the nine protected characteristics.

Some people are quite capable of conducting tasks with certain mental illnesses but there are others who aren't. I said that the reality is any mental illness tends to label you as a "nutter" and while I know it isn't the case we should be wary of taking the opposite stance of not discriminating against any condition which makes someone wholly incapable of performing the tasks or holding the responsibilities.

 

[Seejwalker]

Some people are quite capable of conducting tasks with certain mental illnesses but there are others who aren't. I said that the reality is any mental illness tends to label you as a "nutter" and while I know it isn't the case we should be wary of taking the opposite stance of not discriminating against any condition which makes someone wholly incapable of performing the tasks or holding the responsibilities.

Ok, that's not what you where saying, but merry Christmas all the same and I hope that anyone who suffers from any mental illness is given the same level of opportunity as anyone else and not just to quote you "labelled a nutter".

 

[NoOnesFool]

When I had my D&A test, there was a long list of medications that they said they MIGHT test for (though only illegal ones for me, as I'm not safety critical), some of these included Sertraline, Temazepam and I think diphenhydramine too. Any medication that affects alertness really.