Type 1 Network Rail

M

Matt37411

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi everyone,

Hopefully there is someone who can help me or give me some advice on what to do in this situation.

So to cut a long story short, I was recently offered a job as a trainee signaller with Network Rail. However as soon as the medical came around and I told them I was type 1 their attitude went from all positive, to information being very slow and inconstant. However after speaking with a Doctor from their Occupational Health Service, I was told by the Doctor I had passed at level 5 (required level for the job) and that was the end of September.

Fast froward to now, was informed the other day that even though I passed the medical at the required level, my application was being removed. The reason being they had completed an assessment and found they were unable to implement anything for me to complete the job. However in the medical report it says "If the employee is required to work accompanied: No" & "The employee requires a Risk Assessment: No". So you can see why I'm more than a little confused and annoyed at this.

As mentioned in the title I have type 1 (diagnosed 2019) and have a libre 2 linked to a Garmin Watch for low & high alarms. Plus good control with no blackouts or lows requiring 3rd party assistant.

So any help or advice would be a massive help at the point, as looking around online is other websites/forums that have people with Type 1 doing the job I've applied for along side other safety critical work.
 
Welcome @Matt37411 🙂 There have been a few questions about railway work, one fairly recently, but no definitive answers I can recall. I’ll do a search in a moment and see what I can find.

In your position, I’d get their response in writing - ie exactly why your application was removed, and what regulations they were looking at when they made that decision.
 
Here we are. I know you didn’t say train driver but there’s talk about the rules and lone working and hopefully some useful links. There were other threads too, which I’ll post if I find them. I also suggest you give Diabetes U.K. a call on Monday (number top of the page):

Post in thread 'Train Drivers. Are there any out there who could point us in the right direction please?'
http://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards...he-right-direction-please.114129/post-1380647
 
Inka said:
Welcome @Matt37411 🙂 There have been a few questions about railway work, one fairly recently, but no definitive answers I can recall. I’ll do a search in a moment and see what I can find.

In your position, I’d get their response in writing - ie exactly why your application was removed, and what regulations they were looking at when they made that decision.
Click to expand...
Have got there reason in writing and says about me being a lone worker, and them not being able to guarantee I would be able to check my levels in an emergency situation. Despite being on a libre 2 and linked to a watch, so in my eyes no different to a non diabetic checking the time for example, then getting something to eat at the same time if my level was dropping or anything.
 
Somewhere online there are regulations about lone workers @Matt37411 I googled them for someone who asked a related question here but I can’t remember where I saw them. I think it was somewhere official like a rail site or a rail union site.

I imagine some rail jobs are ok automatically but others that could affect safety are not.
 
It might be helpful to call the Diabetes UK helpline on Monday and speak to someone there about it. It sounds like it might be discrimination perhaps based on insulin dependent diabetics using old technology, rather than your current set up which clearly allows you to keep a close eye on things without distracting you. Of course technology can fail, so you might have to consider having some back up plan, but if the doc who examined you feels that you are safe to work alone, then it doesn't seem right than some HR department can overrule it.
You might want to ask for detailed reasons/scenarios where they feel you would pose a risk, so that you can provide a detailed response to that, explaining that you have levels sampled every minute or 5 mins depending upon device and relayed to your watch.

Wishing you lots of luck in overcoming this issue and getting the job you want.
 
Welcome to the forum @Matt37411

I can completely understand why you are confused, and not a little frustrated.

The railway industry does seem to be the one which raises these threads on the forum from time to time. And if I remember right I've seen threads about trackside working, signalling, and driving - always with the same rather confused and contradictory outcomes.

Do consider giving the Diabetes UK Helpline a call next week (Mon-Fri 9-6 on 0345 123 2399) as they may have some guidance or be able to refer you to the DUK advocacy team.

It does seem odd that there is guidance in place for things like commercial airline pilots, HGV lorry drivers etc, but that the situation in the rail industry is more confused :(

The suggestion of contacting a relevant railworkers union is a good shout too. They must have come across this already if we have here!
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @Matt37411

I can completely understand why you are confused, and not a little frustrated.

The railway industry does seem to be the one which raises these threads on the forum from time to time. And if I remember right I've seen threads about trackside working, signalling, and driving - always with the same rather confused and contradictory outcomes.

Do consider giving the Diabetes UK Helpline a call next week (Mon-Fri 9-6 on 0345 123 2399) as they may have some guidance or be able to refer you to the DUK advocacy team.

It does seem odd that there is guidance in place for things like commercial airline pilots, HGV lorry drivers etc, but that the situation in the rail industry is more confused :(

The suggestion of contacting a relevant railworkers union is a good shout too. They must have come across this already if we have here!
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Hi everydayupsanddowns

Did speak to Diabetes UK the day after the job was taken away from, purely based on me being diabetic. They have given me some advice that's already in progress to hopefully get the issue resolved. As they said the issue is a little more complex than they would normally deal with.

But fully agree the rail industry seems to be very out of date, when it comes to dealing with diabetes. I feel they are very much working with old information and not taken into account continuous glucose monitors, and they ability to get warnings before going high or low if needed etc.

Will keep this thread updated with as much information as I can as things progress, with hopefully a positive outcome at the end of it.
 
Matt37411 said:
Hi everydayupsanddowns

Did speak to Diabetes UK the day after the job was taken away from, purely based on me being diabetic. They have given me some advice that's already in progress to hopefully get the issue resolved. As they said the issue is a little more complex than they would normally deal with.

But fully agree the rail industry seems to be very out of date, when it comes to dealing with diabetes. I feel they are very much working with old information and not taken into account continuous glucose monitors, and they ability to get warnings before going high or low if needed etc.

Will keep this thread updated with as much information as I can as things progress, with hopefully a positive outcome at the end of it.
Click to expand...
I would consider flagging this up to my MP, asking him/her to ask the Secretary of State for health if this discrimination is even legal, never mind fair.
 
So just an update everyone to what's going on. I actually managed to speak to someone today, rather than over email. And to say they don't understand diabetes is a massive understatement !!!!!!

Firstly despite me taking libre readings to my medical, from that phone call I'm convinced that they thought I was still using a finger prick monitor. As the medical says about checking every 2 hours and when I said about having a libre and that it's linked to a smart watch (pictured) with custom set alarms, they went all quiet and couldn't really give me an answer to how it's any different to non diabetic checking the time for example.

Also it was mentioned how if I had a medical emergency, I would put myself and others at risk. But I asked how it would be any different to someone having a heart attack or similar and was told "that's different" with no explanation to how it's different.

But every time I attempted to explain how under control everything is, and gave answers to have I would manage my glucose while at work, it was shut down or just the same information repeated back to me. Along with them changing their tune on me working alone, as apparently the medical saying "If the employee is required to work accompanied: No" has gone from me having to be accompanied in work. To I can work alone but because of the remote location I would be working in, them taking time to get to me if something happened "they can't take that risk" apparently.



462540160_1730744774387760_9014935789885464924_n.jpg
 
Sounds very frustrating for you @Matt37411

It does sound a bit like they haven’t understood several of the things you have been saying, and showing them - and didn’t really know how to respond to the information you shared with them?

Do you have access to any advice or support from a relevant Union?
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sounds very frustrating for you @Matt37411

It does sound a bit like they haven’t understood several of the things you have been saying, and showing them - and didn’t really know how to respond to the information you shared with them?

Do you have access to any advice or support from a relevant Union?
Click to expand...
Is more than frustrating at this point

Very much feels like they've made the decision with me having zero involvement in it. And now I'm trying to prove ways I can manage every problem they present to me, but they have no interest. This is evident in from me sending an email to the person I had the meeting with, including a CC of 5 other people/departments, explaining how CGM works along with links to Libre and Diabetes UK information. But they all had all of yesterday afternoon to respond but nothing off anyone.

Not in a Union, did plan to join one when I started the job, but that's gone out the window don't see much point. Have got advice from other people/areas on what to do tough.
 
Matt37411 said:
Is more than frustrating at this point

Very much feels like they've made the decision with me having zero involvement in it. And now I'm trying to prove ways I can manage every problem they present to me, but they have no interest. This is evident in from me sending an email to the person I had the meeting with, including a CC of 5 other people/departments, explaining how CGM works along with links to Libre and Diabetes UK information. But they all had all of yesterday afternoon to respond but nothing off anyone.

Not in a Union, did plan to join one when I started the job, but that's gone out the window don't see much point. Have got advice from other people/areas on what to do tough.
Click to expand...
Some solicitors offer a free consultation to give legal advice also some household insurance policies have a 'legal' element included.
 
Leadinglights said:
Some solicitors offer a free consultation to give legal advice also some household insurance policies have a 'legal' element included.
Click to expand...
I too was wondering about the Disability Discrimination angle.
Although @Matt37411 is not a member of a union, the RMT may be willing to provide some initial assistance, if you explain you will join once you have the job or Citizen's Advice Bureau.
If it was me, I may also try writing to my local MP.
 
Leadinglights said:
Some solicitors offer a free consultation to give legal advice also some household insurance policies have a 'legal' element included.
Click to expand...
Have got a friends wife who works in a solicitors office, so have had some guidance from them but not an official level at the moment. But am following some of the advice up at the moment.
 
helli said:
I too was wondering about the Disability Discrimination angle.
Although @Matt37411 is not a member of a union, the RMT may be willing to provide some initial assistance, if you explain you will join once you have the job or Citizen's Advice Bureau.
If it was me, I may also try writing to my local MP.
Click to expand...
The RMT have got some very helpful documents on their website, that do relate to diabetes in the work place. However not spoke to anyone from the RMT yet. Might give it a go to see what they make of the whole situation.

Do plan to contact my local MP, again just to get another view on the situation and to see if he can take it higher or give any form of advice.
 
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