Public transport operators have said their drivers face “extensive” health and fitness checks even though there is no legislative mandate to carry out such tests on bus drivers.
Bus companies said they relied on in-house medical officers to carry out medical assessments on staff before they take up driving positions.
Concerns about driver health have been raised following an incident on Tuesday in which a Dublin Bus driver fell unconscious while driving down Westmoreland Street in the city centre.
The bus came to a halt after a nurse succeeded in removing the man’s foot from the accelerator. The driver went into cardiac arrest and was brought to hospital where it is understood that he is in a stable condition.
A spokeswoman from Dublin Bus said the physical and mental well-being of all employees was covered in their induction training and that drivers must complete a certificate of professional competence training each year. Drivers also complete a modules on health and safety, on physical and mental ability, and preventing physical risks, she said.
Like other transport bodies, bus drivers must complete a pre-employment medical examination before joining the company which they repeat every five years as part of the renewal of their licence. Dublin Bus drivers retire at 66.
Testing
The Go-Ahead Ireland bus service also requires drivers to undergo medical tests before joining the company which include blood tests, an eye examination and blood pressure regulation as well as drug and alcohol testing. Like Dublin Bus, drivers must repeat the testing every five years as part of their licence renewal. However, some drivers may have to repeat the test more frequently based medical review results.
Go-Ireland bus drivers must retire at state pension age “given the safety critical natures of driving positions to reduce the potential risk to customers, pedestrians and other road safety,” said a statement from the company.
A spokeswoman for Bus Éireann said that all staff are under the care of the company’s chief medical officer and must undergo a health examination upon recruitment and appointment.
All driving applicants must reach the “minimum standards” of physical and mental fitness as prescribed under the Road Traffic Acts, she added. Bus Éireann’s regular drivers and part-time schoolbus drivers must retire at 66 but drivers can stay on until 70 subject to passing an annual medical exam.
Iarnród Éireann notes that only “suitably fit, trained and competent persons are engaged in safety-critical tasks” across the rail network.
‘Safety critical role’
A statement from the company said that staff must be deemed medically fit by the company’s medical officer in order to hold a “safety critical role” such as driving a train.
Statutory fitness checks are in place for train drivers as part of the medical requirements of a 2007 EU directive. The 2005 Railway Safety Act also dictates that train drivers and all railways safety critical workers must undergo fitness tests.
Iarnród Éireann drivers must undergo an “extensive pre-appointment medical” followed by a periodic medical examination every three years up to the age of 55. Drivers over this age undergo an annual check.
Irish Rail said safety measures are also in place should a driver suddenly fall ill while a train is moving including the use of a ‘vigilance handle’ in the controls. If a Dart driver does not apply control to the handle, the train comes to halt. However, it noted that non-Dart trains do not have an automatic train protection system.
Asked to comment on the fitness levels of public transport drivers, Dermot O’Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, said the matter of compulsory health checks lay with the legislator but that in the absence of legislation, medical officers were implementing “robust checks”.
“One thing we insist upon is ensuring rosters are designed in such a way that people have sufficient break and down time,” he said. “Drivers attend training on an annual basis and some modules cover issues like health and safety.”
The Department of Transport has not responded to a request for comment on the absence of legislation covering driver health checks.
