Safety Critical Worker (SCW)

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Safety Critical Worker (SCW)

A safety critical worker (SCW) within the Industry standard is defined as “Where the ill health of an individual may compromise their ability to undertake a task defined as safety critical, thereby posing a significant risk to the health and safety of others” A suitable risk assessment of any activity should identify whether it has a safety critical nature and whether in the event of worker incapacity this would be likely to result in a significant risk of harm to the individual worker performing the task or to others i.e. third parties.

Critical Aspects

In construction the following have been defined as ‘safety critical’:

All mobile plant operators
Hi-speed road workers
Rail trackside worker
Asbestos licensed workers
Tunnellers, or those working in a confined space
Tasks carried out at height where collective preventative measures to control risk are not practicable
Others as identified by the risk

Whilst the use of noble med solutions would help to ensure that an assessment process individual is fit to perform a task effectively and without risk to their own or others health and safety in broad terms, although there are general duties of care under the HSAWA, it is likely that only those exposed to safety critical work would need be subjected to a full medical assessment.

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Safety Critical Worker (SCW)