Safety Critical Medicals

Across the construction sector and other high-risk industries, employers increasingly require workers to hold a valid Safety Critical Medical or Fit for Task certification before allowing them on site.

If you are looking for Safety Critical Medicals near you, Global OHS provides timely, practical assessments that meet industry expectations and support safe working.

Why do I need safety critical medicals?

Safety Critical Medicals support an employer’s legal duty of care under UK health and safety legislation. Where work involves higher risk activities, the consequences of sudden incapacity, reduced alertness, or unmanaged health conditions can be severe.

Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) makes clear that employers must ensure workers are fit to carry out their tasks safely, particularly where failure could result in serious harm.

What is “safety-critical” work?

Safety-critical work is defined as:

“Where the ill health of an individual may compromise their ability to undertake a task defined as safety-critical, thereby posing a significant risk to the health and safety of others.”

This definition is widely used across construction, rail, utilities and infrastructure projects. Industry frameworks such as Fit for Construction and other national standards help employers determine when a safety critical medical is required and what it should include.

What does a Safety Critical Medical include?

Our safety critical work health assessments follow recognised industry standards and typically include:

• Eyesight assessment

• Hearing assessment

• Respiratory assessment

• Blood pressure check

• Urinalysis (including diabetes screening where appropriate)

• Musculoskeletal assessment

• General health questionnaire and review

Each assessment focuses on whether the individual can carry out their role safely and reliably, rather than excluding people unnecessarily.

Why employers rely on these assessments

Safety Critical Medicals help employers:

• Reduce the risk of accidents linked to medical incapacity

• Support compliance with health and safety legislation

• Evidence fitness for task decisions

• Protect workers, colleagues, and the public

The HSE and industry bodies consistently emphasise the importance of health surveillance and fitness for work in high-risk roles, particularly where tasks involve working at height, operating machinery, or controlling safety-critical systems.

Where and how we deliver assessments

We offer Safety Critical Medicals at our Burgess Hill office most Fridays. If you have multiple workers requiring assessment, we can also attend your site or office to deliver assessments efficiently with minimal disruption.

Book an appointment or send us your requirements today to ensure your workforce meets safety critical standards and can start work without delay.