Express News Service
NEW DELHI: In a first, the Indian Railways will conduct a study on the impact of medicines being taken by its employees on duty to treat their lifestyle diseases. The move aims to determine whether the medicines taken by the staff on duty have an impact on the safe operation of trains or not.
The Railway Board has directed all its zonal offices to collect and share information on the lifestyle diseases of the drivers and guards in particular, and what medicines they take while on duty.
“This is aimed at studying in detail if the medicines taken by the drivers or guards of trains, persons on signal duty, or others in works related to operations make any impact on their performances and on safe train operations or not. This will give a new kind of information to the railway to make any supplementary arrangements,” said a senior railway officer.
On August 31 this year, the Railway Board had sent a directive to the chiefs of each of the 17 zonal railways as well as the metro railways at Kolkata and Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, stating that the Railway Board is examining issues related to the use of medicines and its effect on the staff.
It is said that the loco pilots and guards have to perform a tough routine running duty and face high stress. Major lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and severe mental stress due to their harsh working conditions were having a bad impact on the safe running of trains as well as alertness on duty. Quoting from the directive, sources said the Railway Board has directed the zonal railways to provide the data along with their remarks regarding “various types of lifestyle and job-related diseases amongst the running staff” and the “impact of running duty on the lifestyle of train crew.”
Along with these details, the rail zones have also been asked to provide their suggestions and comments on whether the current system of periodical medical examination of the running staff needs any review with changing times. The Railway Board has directed the zones to provide “suggestions or remarks” by September 10 this year for further move.
NEW DELHI: In a first, the Indian Railways will conduct a study on the impact of medicines being taken by its employees on duty to treat their lifestyle diseases. The move aims to determine whether the medicines taken by the staff on duty have an impact on the safe operation of trains or not.
The Railway Board has directed all its zonal offices to collect and share information on the lifestyle diseases of the drivers and guards in particular, and what medicines they take while on duty.
“This is aimed at studying in detail if the medicines taken by the drivers or guards of trains, persons on signal duty, or others in works related to operations make any impact on their performances and on safe train operations or not. This will give a new kind of information to the railway to make any supplementary arrangements,” said a senior railway officer.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
On August 31 this year, the Railway Board had sent a directive to the chiefs of each of the 17 zonal railways as well as the metro railways at Kolkata and Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, stating that the Railway Board is examining issues related to the use of medicines and its effect on the staff.
It is said that the loco pilots and guards have to perform a tough routine running duty and face high stress. Major lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and severe mental stress due to their harsh working conditions were having a bad impact on the safe running of trains as well as alertness on duty. Quoting from the directive, sources said the Railway Board has directed the zonal railways to provide the data along with their remarks regarding “various types of lifestyle and job-related diseases amongst the running staff” and the “impact of running duty on the lifestyle of train crew.”
Along with these details, the rail zones have also been asked to provide their suggestions and comments on whether the current system of periodical medical examination of the running staff needs any review with changing times. The Railway Board has directed the zones to provide “suggestions or remarks” by September 10 this year for further move.
