PTS Medicals for Rail Track

Acorn Occupational Health is proud to support the rail industry and provide a quality service to both clients and their rail workers. We understand the requirements and health & safety standards of the sector. We offer personal track safety medicals for railway workers across England, whether this is a full PTS Medical examination or a Drug and alcohol screening.

What is a PTS Medical?

A Personal Track Safety Medical, or a PTS Medical is a Certificate that is required by Network Rail before any railway worker is permitted to work on or near a railway track within the UK.

Personal Track Safety (PTS) is a system of safer working practices employed within the UK. In summary, they are designed to ensure the safety of railway workers who have to work on or near a railway line. For this reason, the basic level for track access for Network Rail is the PTS Certificate as defined by the railway safety standards NR/L2/CTM/021.

Acorn also offers RISQS standard Drug & Alcohol testing. All samples are analysed at RISQS-accredited laboratories.

RISQS Accreditation

Acorn is RISQS accredited to provide Personal Track Safety Medicals to Network rail workers. For companies that wish to work with or for the Great British Rail Industry, they must meet very strict criteria called RISQS – Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme

The RISQS accreditation is recognised by the rail industry as the most effective means of managing supply chain risk. Therefore, it brings complete assurance that as a rail network provider, you can confidently look to Acorn as your Occupational Health provider.

Sponsorship for a PTS Medical

Anyone who wants to work on the railway requires a Sponsorship from a RISQS-registered company. There are a few ways to get a sponsor:

Ask the rail company you work for to sponsor you (this is the most common scenario)
Ask the rail company that you want to work for to sponsor you
Ask a rail recruitment agency to sponsor you (this scenario is common for people who are looking for casual work)
Ask a railing training company to sponsor you

Please note, that Acorn Occupational Health does not act as a sponsor for individuals who require a PTS medical.

What is included in a PTS Medical?

General health questionnaire
Drug and alcohol test
Weight/BMI
Vision test using Snellen
Vision test using Ishihara for colour blindness
Blood pressure
Audiometry
Pulse
Urinalysis

Costings

Single PTS Medical

The Safety-Critical PTS medicals take 1 hour at our clinic in Congleton, Cheshire.
All information from the medical assessment is uploaded to Sentinel as requested, so you there is less for you to do
Acorn OH has fully trained clinicians to complete the medical assessment and the reporting

The cost of a single PTS Medical (no Drug and Alcohol) in our Congleton office is £95+ vat.

Just Drug and Alcohol

The rail industry has a zero-tolerance to drug and alcohol abuse
Alcohol testing is completed by testing a sample of breath through a breathalyzer machine
Drug testing is completed from a sample of urine and all samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis

The cost of a Drug and Alcohol test in our offices is £55 + vat.

Full PTS Medical with Drug and Alcohol

All of the above. The full Safety-Critical PTS Medical
Drug and Alcohol Screen
All reporting and uploaded to sentinel

The cost of a full PTS medical including Drug and Alcohol is £150 + vat

Day Rates for PTS Medicals

Acorn does also offer half-day and full-day rates for PTS Medicals if you have a number of employees that need screening. Please get in touch for more detailed information and one of the team will work with you. Visit our FAQs page, call us at 01260 277797, or email us at website@acornoh.co.uk