Sick on the job

Dr. Mark Newson-Smith examines the fitness needed to drive and operate machinery safely.

The value to business of sound safety practice is well recognised, particularly in businesses where risks to man, machine and product are significant and seen on a daily basis.

The Build Safe UAE initiative is a good example of this. Less well recognised is the impact of workers health on business, particularly in terms of overall performance, productivity, attendance and safety.

The employee is frequently the least well looked after piece of "equipment" within a business, yet is an essential asset and within many skilled areas one that is becoming harder to find. Compared with other causes ill health ranks relatively low on the list of causal factors for accidents involving vehicles and machinery yet its contribution to accidents is probably substantially underestimated and certainly ill health adversely impacts on performance.

For example, slower reactions, reduced decision making capacity and inattention can all be brought on by poor health - and also on other things as productivity within the workplace.

Whilst there are few, if any, detailed fitness to drive standards within the Gulf Region there are well documented international standards that are applicable everywhere.

These look at fitness in relation to the type of vehicle being driven but tend to be limited to cars, vans, lorries and buses. It is, however, many occupational physicians (doctors trained in looking at fitness to work) assessing fitness to work on other types of vehicles will adapt these standards (based on the nature of the vehicle and the work carried out by it) to suit the task.

It's also important to remember that driving the vehicle may be only one of the tasks carried out by that employee and although he may he fit to drive, he might not be able to lift the 20kg hose coupling for unloading his tanker.

The recommended frequency for examinations vary between countries. In the US Commercial Motor Vehicle Licenses require a medical examination at least every 2 years whereas in the UK the medicals for large lorry and bus drivers are generally a minimum of every 5 years from age 45 to 65 and then annually (the original medical usually lasts to the age of 45).

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