Projects - Quality and safety
Assessing Fitness to Drive
Assessing Fitness to Drive is a joint publication of Austroads and the National Transport Commission (NTC). It contains the national medical standards for drivers of private and commercial vehicles. The standards are used by health professionals in making assessments of health conditions that may affect capacity for safe driving. They are also used by driver licensing authorities in making decisions about driver licensing. Project Health has been involved in the development and implementation of the standards since 2003, with a new edition released in October 2016.
National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers
Health standards are also important for safety critical workers such as rail safety workers, including train drivers. The National Standard for the Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers was first developed in 2004 to support safety on the rail network and a consistent national approach. Project Health was involved in the original development of the standard in 2004 and has undertaken subsequent reviews to reflect the changing rail environment and medical developments. The new standard came into effect in February 2017.
Standard for Health Assessment of Marine Pilots (NSW Maritime)
Marine pilots are another safety critical group, with their role in guiding ships into port in variety of challenging conditions. Project Health was involved in the development of the original Standard for Health Assessment of Marine Pilots in 2009. A recent review was modelled on the revised rail safety worker standard and was completed in December 2016. The review highlighted the significant psychological and physical demands of pilotage, and the need to focus on functionality rather than medical diagnoses.
Health Standards for Paramedics - NSW Ambulance 2011 -2012
Paramedic duties physically and psychologically demanding and are safety sensitive. Should a paramedic suffer a sudden incapacity or significant impairment in an operational situation, the safety of patients, other employees, the public and the individual paramedic may be jeopardised. NSW Ambulance therefore sought to develop a robust health standard that would facilitate consistent and transparent health management of its workforce. Specifically, the health standard was developed:
- to define the level of health and fitness required to perform the inherent requirements and demands of paramedic duties; and
- to describe how the health and fitness of paramedics is assessed and reported in relation to these requirements.
Project Health assisted in the development process involving:
- defining the overall system of health assessments
- determining the inherent requirements of the job(s)
- deducing the necessary health attributes to do the job based on the inherent requirements
- setting the clinical tests to be undertaken to assess the health attributes;
- defining the specific criteria to be met for fitness for duty; and
- developing the procedures that will support implementation and monitoring of the health assessments.
Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and management of early rheumatoid arthritis
Our consultants have worked extensively in clinical guideline development, including in the development of guidelines for the management of musculoskeletal disease. In 2009 we contributed to the RACGP guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis.