OTTAWA, Ont. — Transport Canada has initiated new standards and a medical assessment process for locomotive engineers, conductors and other positions deemed to be, “critical to safety.”

“These rules ensure that operations critical to safety are performed only by medically fit personnel,” says federal Transport Minister David Collenette. “This is just one of the many ways that Transport Canada is working with the rail industry to keep Canada’s rail system among the safest in the world.”

The new standards recognize both diseases and disorders — which in the opinion of a medical steering committee — could negatively impact performance. Workers under 40 years of age will need to undergo an assessment every five years, while those over 40 will see the doc once every three years.

“Transport Canada will closely monitor the implementation of these new rules through our national inspection and audit programs,” concludes Collenette.