Health, fitness and professional conduct
What this domain tests
The exam tests medical fitness, fatigue management, drugs and alcohol, eyesight and hearing standards, competence, and professional conduct. It asks what you should do when your fitness is in doubt, not just what the rules say.
Core standards
- Medical fitness: meet the relevant medical standards for your role; declare conditions and medications that may affect safety.
- Fatigue: manage rest, report fatigue, and do not book on if unfit. Hidden fatigue is a safety risk.
- Drugs and alcohol: comply with the railway’s drugs and alcohol policy and testing regime.
- Eyesight and hearing: meet the required standards and use prescribed correction where permitted.
- Competence: maintain route and traction knowledge; do not work beyond your competence.
- Conduct: be fit for duty, report incidents honestly, and follow the professional standards expected of a safety-critical worker.
Worked example
You are prescribed a sedating antihistamine before a night shift. What do you do?
Reasoning: declare the medication and check the medical standards and company policy before booking on. Sedating medication can impair alertness and reaction time. If the medication or your condition makes you unfit, do not work; report it to your manager or occupational health. Self-certifying fitness when impaired is a conduct and safety failure.
Traps that cost marks
- Hiding fatigue to avoid disrupting the roster.
- Assuming a prescribed medicine is automatically acceptable.
- Working with an untreated condition that affects alertness.
- Failing to declare a change in medical status.