Safety Critical Medicals Manchester

A Safety Critical Medical is the name given to a medical assessment that must be undertaken by a Safety Critical Worker. A Safety Critical Worker is defined as anyone working in a role where an incident of ill health could endanger the safety of others, including colleagues, fellow contractors or members of the general public.

There are different types of Safety Critical Medical with the depth of the medical ultimately decided by your employers and their health and safety advisors. Alternatively, if you’re self employed, you may require a certain standard of Safety Critical Medical to work on a particular project or site to satisfy their regulations.

As standard, the medical will assess if you have any health condition which could cause a sudden loss of consciousness, concentration, balance or coordination. More in depth medicals may include drug or alcohol screening and further blood, lung function or hearing tests.

For any Safety Critical Medical you will be required to bring a few things to your appointment that will help us assess your health in an appropriate manner. This includes: –

• Photo ID – this is so that we can verify you are who you say you are before signing your paperwork off
• Glasses – these are required for your vision assessment if you currently wear them
• Prescription for repeat medication

A Safety Critical Medical is required for anyone working in a role whereby an incident of ill health could endanger the lives of others, including colleagues or the general public. Common occupations that require these include: –

• Scaffolder/Rigger
• Forklift Truck Driver
• Driver and Mechanical Handling Equipment Operator
• Plant Operator
• Roadside maintenance (high speed)
• Tunnelling worker
• Slinger/Signaller/Banksman/Traffic Marshall

As mentioned, the tests that are included in the medical depend on the depth that your employer requires from the medical. As standard we will undergo the following tests.

Review of medical history with GP

You will be asked to fill out a medical history questionnaire which our GP will review as part of the safety critical medical assessment.

Urinalysis

This is to assess your kidney health and to identify any diabetes risk indicated by your protein and glucose levels. 

Vision Assessment

This is a standard test to ensure you have the correct range of vision to meet safety standards. You can use corrective lenses to carry out this assessment if required, so it’s important that you bring your glasses with you. In addition, a colour vision assessment will also be performed.

Forced Whisper Test

To check your hearing.

Blood Pressure Readings

This identifies any heart or cardiovascular risk which could cause a sudden loss of consciousness whilst managing safety critical machinery.

Functional Musculoskeletal Assessment

This involves our doctor assessing your functional capacity to ensure you have the required range of motion to carry out your role safely.

Other assessments which may be required

In addition to the tests outlined above, we may also carry out further health screens if they are required by your employer. These include: –

Instant Drug Screen for Urine

An instant drug screen tests for 11 prohibited substances in your body and is required by some companies as part of the assessment.

Alcohol Breath Test

This also tests for your suitability to work by identifying if you are sober at the time of your assessment.

Other assessments which may be required

In addition to the tests outlined above, we may also carry out further health screens if they are required by your employer. These may include, but are not limited to, the following: –

Spirometry

Spirometry is a lung function test which identifies how well your lungs are working. It can be used to identify asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other conditions affecting your breathing.

Audiology

Roles which require you to be able to listen effectively to identify any dangers or safety hazards may require an audiology assessment as well. We can arrange for this to be carried out and will assess the findings as part of your medical.

ECG

We can carry out an ECG scan to identify any potential heart defect as part of your medical assessment should your role or employer require it.

Chester Step Test

To assess aerobic capacity.

Additional Blood or Urine Lab Tests

Some companies may require additional laboratory screens. We can arrange these for you as part of your assessment and collect the samples at your medical appointment.

Here at Your Private Health, we run a smooth Safety Critical Medical process which ensures you are seen by a doctor at a previously agreed appointment time. We’ll fill out your paperwork and get your certification in a timely manner which ensures minimal impact on your work routine. With standard and extended safety critical medicals, the certificate you require is provided following your appointment.

Should you require any external assessments that we can’t carry out ourselves, we can coordinate these so that the impact on your day is minimal. We can also arrange any blood or urine tests through our accredited laboratory who offer us a courier service to ensure the fastest turnaround time possible.

The time it takes to fully complete your medical certificate depends on a number of external factors, including the time it takes to gain your results for any external tests. As soon as we receive these, we’ll complete your paperwork and get your certification to you straight away.

The majority of safety critical medicals are the standard or extended type, in which case your certificate is provided following your appointment.

As a general rule of thumb, we advise that you arrange your assessment no later than a week before you are required to present your certification to an employer. This will ensure any start to your work is not delayed by a lack of medical certification.