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network rail medical-Hearing

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faley1992

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Hi, I am currently on an apprenticeship course to become a rail engineer although all training has come to an end after I failed my hearing test for my medical. I have been to boots today to get retested and my left ear is fine but my right ear has mild hearing loss. When the hearing standards say 30db averaged over 0.5, 1 and 2. Does that mean if i got 30 for 0.5kh,35 for 1kh and 25 for 2kh Ive got an average of 30?

Sorry for the essay, I've got alot riding on this course :|
 
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Ol Git

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Sorry to hear of your problem,not sure about new entrants but I know of many long standing guys who have poor hearing from years of working on noisy machinery day in day out so maybe all is not lost.
Failing that a job in planning or management is a certainty as everything said to them falls on deaf ears ;)
 

LAX54

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Sorry to hear of your problem,not sure about new entrants but I know of many long standing guys who have poor hearing from years of working on noisy machinery day in day out so maybe all is not lost.
Failing that a job in planning or management is a certainty as everything said to them falls on deaf ears ;)

OUCH !!! :lol:
 

faley1992

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Cheers Ol Git ;)

Just really stressing me out as ive been through weeks of selection and thought I'd passed my medical until I was 5 minutes from sitting my PTS test for the examiner to pull 3 of us out the course because of failed hearing tests. The other 2 have had retests which have been positive but mine didn't but I'm trying to put a point across that I had an ear infection the week before so hopefully...
 

Trackman

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9 times out of 10 it's earwax, a visit to the doctors will sort this out.
You wouldn't believe the number of young people who fail this test, medical people put it down to use of headphones
 

chubs

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medical people put it down to use of headphones

Interesting you say this, I have on and off problems with ear wax and have asked the nurse before if she thinks its linked to my use of ear buds and she has said no. That said I also had an issue with wax for a few years when I was younger and then I used normal headphones.

But to OP yes a visit your nurse at the GP practice for syringing is definitely a good idea if they are blocked. Good luck, hope you make it in the next retest.
 

Llanigraham

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Ask if you can have hearing aids, I know that some drivers have them.

Things are different with NR.
I wear a hearing aid after one of the regular NR medicals found my hearing had deteriorated. I could still carry on being a signaller, but could not get a PTS cert, even wearing a hearing aid. The reason given was what would happen if the aid failed whilst out on track, which is totally reasonable.
 

choochoochoo

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Things are different with NR.
I wear a hearing aid after one of the regular NR medicals found my hearing had deteriorated. I could still carry on being a signaller, but could not get a PTS cert, even wearing a hearing aid. The reason given was what would happen if the aid failed whilst out on track, which is totally reasonable.

What happens if someone's glasses fell off and cracked ? Not a safety expert/signaller nor audiologist, but if you can carry spare glasses as a driver, why can't you carry spare hearing aid ?
 

faley1992

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I have been to the nurse to have my ears syringed before I went to Boots but turned out my ears were clean, but the audiologist at Boots said it looked like I had abit of damage on both of my ear drums, which may have been caused by the ear infection. I have asked my GP for a letter explaining my ear infection, whether that will allow me to sit my PTS I dont know... Does anybody know of the red triangle on the PTS? and whether I will be able to still have a PTS but with the red triangle?

P.S Thanks for all the replies
 

Llanigraham

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What happens if someone's glasses fell off and cracked ? Not a safety expert/signaller nor audiologist, but if you can carry spare glasses as a driver, why can't you carry spare hearing aid ?

1/ Because the NHS will only issue you with 1 per ear.
2/ Do you realise how much they cost if bought privately?
3/ Because that is the NR ruling.
 

AndrewE

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...but you only need 1 aid per ear, and if you lose one you still have the other! Anyway you can always carry spare batteries - as I do - so losing (some of) the hearing in 1 ear is actually quite unlikely, unless you may be doing the sort of thing that might pull one out altogether, like fighting your way through bushes looking for a cable route or something.

I would investigate whether this could be a disability discrimination issue as it seems unfair to me.
Some firms have been known to deliberately take on people with hearing damage etc. as it potentially lets them unload the blame if there is a claim in a decade or two...
Good luck
A
 

choochoochoo

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1/ Because the NHS will only issue you with 1 per ear.
2/ Do you realise how much they cost if bought privately?
3/ Because that is the NR ruling.

Yes they can be pricey. But if somebody wants to pay for a backup pair for their career then why should that be a barrier to employment ?
 
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ExRes

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Ask if you can have hearing aids, I know that some drivers have them.

I did, although it took my TOC 2 years to finally sign off the safety case, unless things have changed it is down to each individual employer to agree a safety case and for the employee to agree to it

Mine required me to wear a digital aid, supplied and paid for by my employer, at all times when on safety critical work, failure to adhere to that agreement would have had me removed from driving
 

lincolnshire

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I have been to the nurse to have my ears syringed before I went to Boots but turned out my ears were clean, but the audiologist at Boots said it looked like I had abit of damage on both of my ear drums, which may have been caused by the ear infection. I have asked my GP for a letter explaining my ear infection, whether that will allow me to sit my PTS I dont know... Does anybody know of the red triangle on the PTS? and whether I will be able to still have a PTS but with the red triangle?

P.S Thanks for all the replies

A red triangle on a PTS card means a medical restriction on the holder of the card, we have one who has below hearing standard and his restriction is that he must be accompanied at all times when on or about the railway.
So for him to go on the track he must have look out protection or be working in a possesion. He also can,t be a COSS and arrange his own lookout protection to protect himself. There by a red triangle makes very restricted working in a small gang of staff. He also has many years of service before the restriction came in as his hearing has failed over the years and no longer can match the standard required.

So as a new starter what I am saying is not what you want to hear it looks like you might have been rejected now before you start work. Looking from an employer,s point of view why employ someone who if they get a PTS card with a red triangle on for a hearing defect at start of employment then they will always be limited in what work they can carry out on there own. They would always have to be part of a group and it would always be a limiting factor for the rest of there service on the railway.

You best hope that its just a minor problem why you did not pass the hearing test, but also be prepared for rejection.
 

faley1992

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That is the harsh reality I might have to face if I'm honest. But Im hoping the results I got in my hearing test at boots will be enough because I had 1 frequency at 35db, maybe the medical team will put that down to the damage on my ear drums, which was caused by the ear infection and tbh I was using cotton buds to clean them out during the ear infection.

Its been getting me down for the past week now and I just want answers from the medical team.:roll:
 

Llanigraham

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Sorry, but whatever result the hearing test at Boots has given, it will not be accepted by NR. They will only conduct the test themselves and will only go by that result.

And to the comment earlier about this being discrimination; rubbish. There is a proven safety case not to allow a person with a hearing impairment needing an artificial aid to undertake certain safety critical jobs that require a PTS Cert.
 

ExRes

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And to the comment earlier about this being discrimination; rubbish. There is a proven safety case not to allow a person with a hearing impairment needing an artificial aid to undertake certain safety critical jobs that require a PTS Cert.

I totally agree with your first comment, it's ridiculous to throw the 'discrimination' word around when the most important point is the safety of both the hearing impaired person and all those whose safety is dependent on that person

I'm not sure where I filed my old paperwork and whether it listed any 'cans' and 'cannots' in my safety case, as a driver though I was permitted to carry out all duties within the train and on and about the line including in yards, I did wonder whether a FOC would act in the same manner as a TOC when the amount of yard and infrastructure work was taken into account

One major point to consider in all this of course, is the fact that my safety case was all about me actually being employed when the hearing impairment came to light, I have major doubts as to whether a new entrant would have been given the same treatment as I was
 

Llanigraham

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I totally agree with your first comment, it's ridiculous to throw the 'discrimination' word around when the most important point is the safety of both the hearing impaired person and all those whose safety is dependent on that person

I'm not sure where I filed my old paperwork and whether it listed any 'cans' and 'cannots' in my safety case, as a driver though I was permitted to carry out all duties within the train and on and about the line including in yards, I did wonder whether a FOC would act in the same manner as a TOC when the amount of yard and infrastructure work was taken into account

One major point to consider in all this of course, is the fact that my safety case was all about me actually being employed when the hearing impairment came to light, I have major doubts as to whether a new entrant would have been given the same treatment as I was

Exactly.
I continued my employment as a signaller after I was found to need a hearing aid, and my "Permit to Work" stated I had to wear my aid at all times. However when I looked at applying for the position of a Level Crossing Manager, it was pointed out that I could not get my PTS due to my aid, and therefore it was pointless applying.
 

faley1992

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So today I visited my GP, which issued me with some proof of my ear infection pre-medical. I emailed this to my employer which sent it to the medical company. They have granted me a 6 month medical certificate, this will allow me to complete most of my apprenticeship, as well as plenty of time for my ears/eardrums to heal, which my GP has assured me that I should fly through the medical next time round. Unless I have some more bad luck with ear infections <( but... fingers crossed I will be ear infection free and have a long career on the railways.
 

ExRes

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So today I visited my GP, which issued me with some proof of my ear infection pre-medical. I emailed this to my employer which sent it to the medical company. They have granted me a 6 month medical certificate, this will allow me to complete most of my apprenticeship, as well as plenty of time for my ears/eardrums to heal, which my GP has assured me that I should fly through the medical next time round. Unless I have some more bad luck with ear infections <( but... fingers crossed I will be ear infection free and have a long career on the railways.

Pleased for you, can I advise you to get on top of any problem as quickly as possible if it occurs again, I found that nobody else will do it if you don't, good luck with your career
 
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