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Colour blindness

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Harbon 1

Harbon 1

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Wasn't this subject brought up a long wile ago with a poster saying to let colour blind people drive, they should attach a mechanical indicator to the signals as well as the colour aspect? :rolleyes:

I've got my second assessment this week. If I don't pass one of the tests, that's it, I didn't make the standard. There are requirements for any job that you have to meet, since they are just that...requirements.
 
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Intermodal

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Harbon 1 said:
Wasn't this subject brought up a long wile ago with a poster saying to let colour blind people drive, they should attach a mechanical indicator to the signals as well as the colour aspect? :rolleyes:
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Whilst I recognise this to be ridiculous, I can certainly sympathise with the terrible emotion of perhaps realising something you have always wanted to do is going to be impossible.
 
Harbon 1

Harbon 1

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Intermodal said:
Whilst I recognise this to be ridiculous, I can certainly sympathise with the terrible emotion of perhaps realising something you have always wanted to do is going to be impossible.
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Oh yeah I completely understand that someone would be frustrated and upset, but you have to look at the requirements of a job before applying.
 
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4F89

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Just out of interest, having had a look online, do they test just the numbers, or the lines as well? Assuming the official Ishihara test is used and not a bastardisation.
 
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Alex Calver

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I failed the isihara test for a safety critical role, fortunately GWR thought I was still worth employing and gave me an opportunity in a non safety critical position.
The irony is that while stood on the platform at Bristol I was looking at the signal lights and could easily distinguish them. I do however understand the need for a standard test and I fared better at the city university than the isihara.
 
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Doddie

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How many plates do you need to get wrong or is it as simple as if you get 1 wrong that’s classified as a fail?
 
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Stigy

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A few TOCs do colour blindness tests with the assessments now I’ve noticed too. SWR have started doing this since becoming part of First, soninassume it all First TOCs donut this way?
 
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D.CLAYTON

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Hi i currently work in rail as a mechanical fitter. I was told at my medical i was red/green colour blind but i still got the position. i truly feel its down to the depot manager. they also have safety glasses and contact lenses out now on prescription. colour blindness should be embraced and not discriminated. we are all equal and shouldn't be held back in our careers due to discrimination.
 
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D.CLAYTON

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TheEdge said:
The standard for railway safety critical is perfect colour vision. Any failure of the ishihara test is terminal.
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Harbon 1 said:
Oh yeah I completely understand that someone would be frustrated and upset, but you have to look at the requirements of a job before applying.
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But as there are priscrition saftey glasses standard glasses and contact lenses now availible for colour blindness why are these requirmens still holding poeple back in there careers.
 
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D.CLAYTON said:
Hi i currently work in rail as a mechanical fitter. I was told at my medical i was red/green colour blind but i still got the position. i truly feel its down to the depot manager. they also have safety glasses and contact lenses out now on prescription. colour blindness should be embraced and not discriminated. we are all equal and shouldn't be held back in our careers due to discrimination.
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It may be discretionary at depot level as although safety critical, you’d not be subjected to mainline conditions such as changing signals/travelling through numerous different areas at speed and adjusting to these conditions day and night with limited artificial lighting.

I don’t think it’s discrimination, I think it’s about safety and mitigating possible risk. The railway has relaxed some vision rules over the years to bring themselves in to the 21st century (such as allowing higher prescriptions and laser eye surgery etc.).
 
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whhistle

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There is a problem in that people are uneducated when it comes to colour blindness.

Some seem to think it means you see in black and white... I always ask someone "what colour do you think someone sees when it's red or green?" - they cannot answer or even guess. Most who are colourblind still see red and green (also worth noting you can be colour blind to blue and yellow).

Wikipedia doesn't help in this respect as the article on colour blindness isn't quite right.

Fact is most people who are colour blind could work on the railway, in a safety critical position, with no problems or increase risks. Just like any other sense, the degree of degraded colour vision is what's important.
You have a hearing test in a booth to see if you can hear enough to be safety critical.
You have a distance vision test to see if you can see well enough.
You have a health test to see if you're fit enough to be safety critical.

There's no reason why the same cannot be applied to colour vision and if what the RSSB told me recently comes to fruition, it very well may do sooner than not.

The other problem of course, is people not really caring enough to understand.
 
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baz962

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whhistle said:
There is a problem in that people are uneducated when it comes to colour blindness.

Some seem to think it means you see in black and white... I always ask someone "what colour do you think someone sees when it's red or green?" - they cannot answer or even guess. Most who are colourblind still see red and green (also worth noting you can be colour blind to blue and yellow).

Wikipedia doesn't help in this respect as the article on colour blindness isn't quite right.

Fact is most people who are colour blind could work on the railway, in a safety critical position, with no problems or increase risks. Just like any other sense, the degree of degraded colour vision is what's important.
You have a hearing test in a booth to see if you can hear enough to be safety critical.
You have a distance vision test to see if you can see well enough.
You have a health test to see if you're fit enough to be safety critical.

There's no reason why the same cannot be applied to colour vision and if what the RSSB told me recently comes to fruition, it very well may do sooner than not.

The other problem of course, is people not really caring enough to understand.
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While i don't know about colour blindness, i do know you have a test for it, same as hearing etc.
 
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Bagnall

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Having come across this issue when applying for the fire service, I now understand it will be a hurdle in any future train related roles.

I fail the ishihara test every time. However, I can pass the Farnsworth D15 test which shows I have a very mild colour deficiency which has no impact on my day to day colour perception. This further investigation was required when joining the fire service and was acceptable.

I hope if I am successful and fortunate enough to have a medical, I will have an opportunity to undertake further colour blindness tests, after undoubtedly failing the ishihara.

If anyone has had a similar experience or know anyone I can discuss this with prior to a medical, please drop me a message.
 
ComUtoR

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Bagnall said:
I hope if I am successful and fortunate enough to have a medical, I will have an opportunity to undertake further colour blindness tests, after undoubtedly failing the ishihara.
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Unfortunately this has been raised as an issue before. The TOC decides which test they use. Most, if not all, use the Ishihara.

https://catalogues.rssb.co.uk/rgs/standards/GOGN3655 Iss 2.pdf
https://catalogues.rssb.co.uk/rgs/standards/RIS-3451-TOM Iss 1.pdf

Standards can be found there. The likelihood of you being allowed to take a separate test, even at your cost, is very slim.
 
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Bagnall

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ComUtoR

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Medicals for Drivers are mandatory every 3yrs. It changes (I think) at 50 and you then have one annually. I have had the Ishihara repeated at every medical (periodic)
 
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whhistle

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Stigy said:
...you’d not be subjected to mainline conditions such as changing signals/travelling through numerous different areas at speed and adjusting to these conditions day and night with limited artificial lighting.
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Most of which doesn't matter, you either see the colour or not. Conditions like weather will affect everyone but the shade of colour will still be the same.

It shows how little information people know about colour blindness. It's not anyone's fault but people get uppity if they're told that's now how it is.

Most people seem to think you can't see red or green. Really? What do you think they see? A world full of grey?


Stigy said:
I don’t think it’s discrimination, I think it’s about safety and mitigating possible risk. The railway has relaxed some vision rules over the years to bring themselves in to the 21st century (such as allowing higher prescriptions and laser eye surgery etc.).
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This is it.
There are 100 other candidates so no need to take the risk with someone who has a colour deficiency.
But what's difficult for some people to understand is that for some people with certain levels of colour blindness, there would be ZERO risk.

Being colour blind isn't black and white. There are many levels, some people really struggle while others can see fine, just not pass a 103 year old test.
I can't think of a single thing we use now that's over 100 years old. Wine maybe...
 
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whhistle

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Even more fun is there is absolutely nothing stopping anyone learning the plates.

See a 21? Really it's 72.

I bet there are at least a handful of people doing safety crit jobs that just learnt the plates and passed fine. No way to tell if they can see or not.

With something like the City University test, you can't lie as it's random and tailored to your vision.
 
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