• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Discrimination against people who are colourblind

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Tom

Guest
<RANT>

I am colourblind, along with many other people in this world. Companies advertise EQUAL opportunities. How is it EQUAL if they will not allow people who are colourblind.

I - as many people know - would like to work for London Underground, unfortunately, as I am colourblind, I cannot do so. This is unfair on the people who are colourblind as we can see the colours, albeit in a different shade. It may be safety - but its also keeping a life alive. Have companies ever considered this?

Has any company EVER considered us? Or do they obey the HSE? The HSE needs to reconsider its decisions. Why discriminate us? Why don't you discriminate against people with non-perfect distance vision? Why don't you consider anything?

</RANT>

Think this sums up my feelings.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Simming

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,186
Location
Cornwall
I too cant work on the railways, I have colour weakness. God knows what it means, its just means there are apprently some colours I have problem with, but that would fail me on the medical.

It aint discrimination, its for safety reasons, like ive said before TC, you may think you can see the colours fine and dandy, but one day the light might be wrong, then you will be up sh*t creek without a paddle.
 
T

Tom

Guest
Sort of comes to the point of, if the light is wrong, remind me... Paddington rail crash (sorry to bring this up, but the driver was not colourblind, but the light WAS wrong).
 
T

Tom

Guest
DescendingSadly said:
tubechallenger said:
Why discriminate us? Why don't you discriminate against people with non-perfect distance vision?

Because that my friend can be altered with glasses.

Why can't colourblindness be altered then? Is that a problem to do?
 

Dave A

Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
1,161
In part I agree with you. Yes it is unfair. I think as long as you can tell which colour the signal is, e.g. red as blue or green as pink, and it stays like this, then there should be no reason why you can't operate a LU train.

However, I think that H&S is top priority and it is safer for TfL and LU do have someone who is at near full health, even though this counts a hell of a lot of people out of the job, I think H&S is a top priority in light of recent events.

But, when the trains go ATO, I see no reason what so ever, why they can't give jobs to people with disabilities such as colourblind, but then again who wants to "drive" an ATO stock :roll:

Finally: Yes, overall I do think that people who are colourblind should be allowed to drive LU trains BUT probably only the 95/96 as they seem more sutible. Maybe you should ask an LU representative about this?

David

PS: IMO. (I don't know much about colourblindness so excuse me if I offend or say something wrong)
 
T

Tom

Guest
London Tube said:
In part I agree with you. Yes it is unfair. I think as long as you can tell which colour the signal is, e.g. red as blue or green as pink, and it stays like this, then there should be no reason why you can't operate a LU train.

It's virtually grey in all cabs before 92TS.

However, I think that H&S is top priority and it is safer for TfL and LU do have someone who is at near full health, even though this counts a hell of a lot of people out of the job, I think H&S is a top priority in light of recent events.

H&S is a top priority, but there is no reason to NOT allow a job.

But, when the trains go ATO, I see no reason what so ever, why they can't give jobs to people with disabilities such as colourblind, but then again who wants to "drive" an ATO stock :roll:

Agree with you there.

Finally: Yes, overall I do think that people who are colourblind should be allowed to drive LU trains BUT probably only the 95/96 as they seem more sutible. Maybe you should ask an LU representative about this?

David

PS: IMO. (I don't know much about colourblindness so excuse me if I offend or say something wrong)
LU aren't bothered to reply. The 92TS is an ideal stock to drive (already ATO!)
 

Derek Kaye

Member
Joined
9 Jun 2005
Messages
188
Location
Loughborough
Sorry if I offend anybody, but it is my understanding that the inability to distinguish between red and green is the most common form of colourblindness. I think that there are serious safety implications if a driver is unable to tell whether the signal he is approching is displaying a green or red aspect which is why TfL and any other transport company would have serious headaches about letting colour blind people work for them. It is likely that should the media learn of this, there would be calls for the colourblind people to lose their jobs as, lets face it, we may not agree 100% with it, but we are in a very safety sensitive time.
TC, I don't know what job you applied for, but I don't see why all jobs on the underground should be limited to people with full vision, I can only see why driving jobs are.
 
T

Tom

Guest
I haven't applied for any job.

Common colourblindness may be red or green, BUT, you can distinguish between red and green quite easily even if you are colourblind.
 

Dave A

Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
1,161
tubechallenger said:
I haven't applied for any job.

Common colourblindness may be red or green, BUT, you can distinguish between red and green quite easily even if you are colourblind.

But "quite easily" is a risk! There is a big difference between that and perfectly being able to tell the difference between red and green in the eyes of H&S.

But, again, no-one seems to have touched on the subject that the LU has a tripcock system, so if one of those rare times a colourblind person did pass a red signal, what major difference would it make :? Also, a colourblind person driving the ATO stock seems perfectly visable IMO!
 

Jim

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
3,398
Location
Wick
Looking at both sides. They say they are an Equal oppertunities employer SO HOLD THEM ON THAT. Just how many people are colourblind. They drive cars probabally
 

Tom B

Established Member
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Messages
4,602
Yes they may drive cars - but cars have much lower safety standards. TBH I can understand why they'd say it... they may well be an equal opportunities employer (they're forced to be) *BUT* you cannot be given a job if they think you're incapable of doing it. You should not "hold them on that", as they have a perfect right to reject people who aren't suitible. What next, people being forced to take Bill Gates on as a sysadmin because he's mentally challenged?
 

Simming

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,186
Location
Cornwall
if you dont have perfect colour vision, I know on NR, that you can not have any job that involves being on the track, as you woul;dn't be able to have a PTS

so driver, guard, signalman, track worker, etc etc are all a no no.
 

HSTfan!!!

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
1,967
It's a shame that colourblind people cannot apply for such jobs, couldn't this be ruled out one day? surely someday somebody will come up with a better signalling system than the current colour lighting one? It is a shame, my uncle applied for a drivers job once, but got failed on colourblindness :cry:
 

Tom B

Established Member
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Messages
4,602
I could perhaps understand driver and signalman, but what about station staff etc?
 

Met Driver

Established Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,734
Simming said:
they will probley need a PTS, as sometimes they are needed to go onto the tracks.

Certainly LUL CSAs & SMs need to from time to time. The latter may be required to secure points on occasions, for example.
 

Tom B

Established Member
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Messages
4,602
Do LU SAs (the platform type, not the sledgehammer type) need to go on track? I thought when points needed to be secured, the stationmaster did it?
 

yorkie

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
6 Jun 2005
Messages
67,432
Location
Yorkshire
There's no problem on the roads, because if a car driver misreads a signal and has a fatal accident it is a road death and they are, to the HSE, quite acceptable. :roll:

Also the road lobby would never allow such discrimination. Even terrible drivers who cause awful accidents are back on the roads within months! And the HSE find that perfectly acceptable.

The HSE are totally illogical and I can't see that changing.
 

Met Driver

Established Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,734
Cockfosters said:
Do LU SAs (the platform type, not the sledgehammer type) need to go on track? I thought when points needed to be secured, the stationmaster did it?

That's correct, however according to ITV's 'The Tube', assistants also have to go on track sometimes.
 

tramboy

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
367
Welcome to my world too...i confess that the four aspect signals that we had for a short while, the green on those did not look green, it looked vaguely grey (mainly due to the size and monitor here.) Those who aren't colourblind don't understand what those who are can see, they seem to think it amusing or funny that i can't tell them for sure what a colour is.

In fact it is really frustrating, cos it is not my fault...genetics had it in for me! (My mum is r-g colourblind, Dad isn't...which is why i have partial r-g colourblindness)

Here's hoping that one day they discover how to fix it (note, i'm a geographer, not a biologist so really have no idea.)

Regards

Dave
 

HSTfan!!!

Established Member
Joined
11 Jun 2005
Messages
1,967
tramboy said:
Welcome to my world too...i confess that the four aspect signals that we had for a short while, the green on those did not look green, it looked vaguely grey (mainly due to the size and monitor here.) Those who aren't colourblind don't understand what those who are can see, they seem to think it amusing or funny that i can't tell them for sure what a colour is.

In fact it is really frustrating, cos it is not my fault...genetics had it in for me! (My mum is r-g colourblind, Dad isn't...which is why i have partial r-g colourblindness)

Here's hoping that one day they discover how to fix it (note, i'm a geographer, not a biologist so really have no idea.)

Regards

Dave

well its all to do with the chromosomes.... ok.... thats all I know I'm afraid, shows how much attention I paid in biology last year!
 

Dave A

Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
1,161
HSTfan!!! said:
It's a shame that colourblind people cannot apply for such jobs, couldn't this be ruled out one day? surely someday somebody will come up with a better signalling system than the current colour lighting one? It is a shame, my uncle applied for a drivers job once, but got failed on colourblindness :cry:

Not if health and safety has anything to do with it. But, I can't see why a simple buzzer or ping can't be installed, e.g. 1 buzzer = green, 2 = amber, 3 = red :?
 

Simming

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
1,186
Location
Cornwall
I was told its passed of from my grandad from my mums side of the family, and if I have a daughter, who then has a son, he will have the same problem.
 

tramboy

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2005
Messages
367
I think, remembering back to GCSE, that it's carried on the X...which means if a male has it then you're bound to be colourblind. Women can avoid it by having two Xs.

That's my understanding anyway!

Regards

Dave
 

TheSlash

Established Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
2,339
Location
Marwell Zoo
My friend is colour blind. He drives and when i asked him how he gets on with traffic lights etc he said "The Red, Yellow and Green are always in the same place on the stick, so i look at which aspect is illuminated and that tells me what colour i am looking at"

I think someone recently developed a gizmo to override colour blindness. A computer or something looks at the colour, then tells him what colour it is by send a message to his brain with a musical note, so 'A' red, 'B' green etc
 

TheSlash

Established Member
Joined
7 Jun 2005
Messages
2,339
Location
Marwell Zoo
BTW guys i think my eye sight is crap but strangley pass railway medicals.
I can usually make out about half the eye chart. At my last medical on the last line i could read, i gave one set of answers with one eye, and different set with the other, and the woman never said anything :?
 
Joined
11 Jul 2005
Messages
194
Cockfosters said:
I could perhaps understand driver and signalman, but what about station staff etc?

As long as they were not dispatching, id guess they would be ok! We have people who are colour blind work on board, you just cannot do a saftey critical job!
 

joy54.gen

Member
Joined
6 Jun 2005
Messages
613
You say you want to work for LU, TC, well driving isn't the only job available in LU there are numerous others you could do with your disability.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top