The concerns for category 1 rail safety workers relate to the risk of sudden incapacity that could occur with exceedingly high levels of hypertension, or its contribution to cardiovascular events at lower levels. Hypertension is also a consideration in the assessment of risk of sleep disorders (refer Section 12.2.6. Biometrics / sleep) for category 1 and 2 rail safety workers.
Depending on your measured blood pressure, you may be required to take a letter to your GP requesting the information below.
We may also ask for additional information depending on whether you are diagnosed with hypertension (stable) or undiagnosed and not being treated.
For Rail Safety Workers with verified measurements of raised blood pressure, regardless of their type of hypertension, we require your written advice that includes:
A management plan consistent with the National Heart Foundation guidelines; AND
A “managed Cardiac Risk Score” of less than 10% 5-year risk,
A blood pressure recording below 170 systolic AND 90 diastolic (actual values).
Please Note:
If a recent Exercise Stress Test (EST) result is available, it may remove the need for further testing.
Our protocol permits that if a person has undergone a formal Exercise Stress Test in the previous 6 months before their re-attendance AND a copy of the formal report of the Stress Test is supplied to KINNECT, then before rebooking the examinee for further testing, our team will ascertain if further testing is required. In some cases, an EST up to 2 years old, accompanied by documented satisfactory cardiac risk factor management during the intervening period, may be acceptable.
On the day, the attendee re-presents, the BP “on that day” must meet the relevant criteria.
Please note the thresholds for re-deployment/stand-down with National Standard are different to the National Heart Foundation action threshold with which you may be familiar: The Heart Foundation standards relate to the risk for the individual and use 180 mmHg systolic and 110 mmHg diastolic as their thresholds; whereas the National Standard relates to the risk for the individual AND for others, including the travelling public, and hence use the 170 mmHg systolic AND 90 diastolic mmHg thresholds.
