Minimum age for volunteer crews

HRA Guidance simply states:
"ROGS sets no minimum or maximum age for staff engage on safety critical work. However, the following are nationally recognised norms and it recommended that they are followed.
No person (other than a trainee) ............should undertake safety critical work until they attain the age of 18. No person may perform the duty of driver of a railway train (other than as a trainee) under the age of 21.
Staff may train for safety critical tasks once they are 16 (18 for drivers) They must not be allowed to undertake such work unless properly supervised by a fully competent qualified person.
There is no upper age limit for staff undertaking safety critical work. To bar an individual from safety critical work on grounds of age alone may be a contravention of the Equality Act 2010."
This Guidance is endorsed by the ORR. Interestingly, the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010 gives a minimum age for drivers of 20.

There is seemingly some variation amongst heritage railways on age, which is why I'm interested. I hadn't realised that upper age limits were still enforced, though.

 

Fair comment.

Picking up on the age point in the HRA guidance, my understanding is that it's not on age alone, but based on an assessment that the age in question is a valid measure of whether the individual can still meet the job requirements.

That said, I remain surprised that mandatory age limits have either not been challenged or, if challenged, been upheld.

 

I find it difficult to believe that any of the "No-Win, No Fee" ambulance chasing lawyers would be willing to fight the case of a volunteer on a heritage railway - which is what this discussion is about.

 

No, but some of the rights lawyers might - regardless of funding. And my question about case law was about what may happen on the national network - which could influence heritage railways.

 

Although they are not volunteer footplate crew, the January 2019 edition of Steam Railway reported the retirement of Jacobite driver Alexander John MacDonald last year at the age of 77, and Gareth Jones, a steam Traction Inspector (and former driver) for DB Cargo at the age of 80.

 

Is this thread minimum or maximum ? No place for youngsters on the railway.
Maximum not helped by HMG policy which allows seniors to work on forever,

 

The discussion is about minimum ages permitted by heritage railways for volunteers undertaking safety critical work It is still a grey area with the HRA, the APP working party on young volunteers and heritage railways all having different views. I'm particularly interested to know what 16 year old volunteers can undertake, bearing in mind that, in BR days, a person could go firing at 16 years old.

 

BR days long gone, no kids now.

 

And we were having such an intelligent, informed discussion...