Chief Medical Officers Council

Rail operators in Australia and New Zealand have a responsibility to minimise risks and protect the safety of the public, rail safety workers, their fellow workers, and the environment.

A critical aspect is to monitor the health of rail safety workers (RSW). To ensure there is a consistent approach to this across the Australian and New Zealand rail industry, the National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers (the Medical Standards) was developed by the National Transport Commission (NTC). The Medical Standard is a mandatory requirement and is regularly reviewed and updated by NTC. The latest edition of the Medical Standard came into effect on 11 November 2024.

Download the Medical Standard.

In the latest edition of the Medical Standard, only those accredited through the Authorised Health Professional (AHP) Program can conduct these health assessments. Health assessments as provided by parts 4 and 5 of the Medical Standard are conducted by doctors and other health professionals who are accredited members of the AHP Program.

Chief Medical Officers (CMOs)

In many cases the rail operator appoints a Chief Medical Officer (CMO). CMOs provide critical advice and input to the standards and processes around their application not only for their organisation but also for the industry.

Accreditation is an important process with the CMOs providing the relevant briefing on the importance of the Medical Standard. The CMOs provide content for the eLearning program that covers all the requirements in parts 4 and 5 of the Medical Standard which is an important part of the accreditation. Annual re-accreditation is mandatory and the CMOs play a critical role in determining the assessment.

Role of the Chief Medical Officers Council

The Chief Medical Officers Council (CMOC) is a formal group of CMOs from across the Australian and New Zealand Rail industry which RISSB coordinates for the rail industry. They are guided by an agreed Terms of Reference.

CMOC provides overall governance of the processes around assessing the fitness of RSWs. The CMOC:

  1. discusses key industry issues relevant to the health of rail safety workers
  2. provides expert medical advice in reviews of the medical standards
  3. oversights the processes around the implementation of the standards across the rail industry including:
    • the accreditation of Authorised Health Professionals (AHP)
    • forms used in all AHP processes and how they are completed (audits)
    • the management of AHP performance concerns arising from audits
    • learning and development materials and requirements for AHPs.
  4. oversights communication to the rail industry on matters related to the standards and their application.

List of CMOC members as at January 2025.

  • Dr Armand Casolin (Chair) – appointed for Transport for NSW, Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink
  • Dr Maria Mazaheri (Deputy Chair) – appointed for Aurizon
  • Dr Keith Adams (Management Committee member) – appointed for Queensland Rail
  • Dr June Sims (Management Committee member) – appointed for Arc Infrastructure
  • Dr Stuart Turnbull (Management Committee member) – appointed for Metro Trains Melbourne
  • Dr Graeme Edwards – appointed for ARTC
  • Dr Craig White – appointed for Fortescue and Rio Tinto
  • Dr Heng Chong – appointed for QUBE Logistics, Metro Trains Sydney and Pacific National
  • Dr David Jones – appointed for Progress Rail and Trojan Rail
  • Dr Matthew Brandt – appointed for Fortescue
  • Dr Thang Vuong – appointed for Department of Infrastructure & Transport SA, Keolis Downer, Torrens Connect and Steam Ranger
  • Dr Robert Blakesley – appointed for TasRail
  • Dr Simon Ryder-Lewis – appointed for KiwiRail
  • Dr Robert McCartney – appointed for Bowen Rail and Yarra Trams
  • Dr Joel Silbert – appointed for BHP
  • Dr Russell Fayers – appointed for Public Transport Authority Western Australia

If you are a rail safety worker (RSW) or an AHP and have any questions, information is available on the rail industry worker website  www.riw.net.au or you can contact the RIW Service Desk on 1300 101 682.

The AHP Program is available at https://ahpprogram.com.au/ or you can contact the Help Desk at contact@ahpprogram.com.au

For more information about CMOC, contact info@rissb.com.au.