Eyesight and medical requirements for domestic certificates

On this page:

• Requirements for new certificates
• Colour vision and daylight restrictions
• Requirements for all other application types
• How to get a certificate of medical fitness
• What to do if you disagree with an assessment
• Pregnancy

Medical fitness is important to:

• ensure you are fit to perform your job at sea 
• avoid health issues while working out at sea
• avoid risk to you, your colleagues, passengers or emergency personnel.

You should do a health assessment if your medical condition changes in a way that might affect your work duties. 

Requirements for new certificates

When applying for a new certificate, you must submit a certificate of medical fitness.

Medical practitioners, such as GPs, can issue your medical certificate after an assessment. The assessment includes both medical and eyesight tests.

The medical practitioner can be in Australia or overseas but they must: 

• assess you according to the Standards for the medical examination of domestic seafarers
• complete AMSA form 1850.

Your GP can use the QR code on the AMSA form 1850 to find the Standards, or you can print a copy and take it along to your examination.

You can also use a Certificate of medical fitness for international seafarers (AMSA form 303) if you already have one.

Colour vision and daylight restrictions

Masters, coxswains and seafarers with lookout duties have requirements for red-green colour vision. They must be able to distinguish between:

• red (port) and green (starboard) channel markers
• navigation beacons
• vessels’ navigation lights.

If you are red-green colour impaired, your certificate of competency will restrict you to working in daylight hours.

How to remove a daylight hours restriction

If you do not meet the colour vision requirements, you can ask an optometrist or medical practitioner to:

• ask an optometrist or medical practitioner to re-test you using the Ishihara test, or
• have an ophthalmologist assess you using the Holmes-Wright lantern test.

The Ishihara test is a test for red-green colour vision deficiencies. The Standards contain details on these tests for your practitioner. Make sure to send them a link to the standards or print a copy and take it along to your examination.

Requirements for all other application types

Other application types include:

• renewal
• replacement
• removing a restriction
• adding an endorsement
• change of name.

These applications differ depending on the type of certificate.

How to get a certificate of medical fitness

Before you book your assessment

Check that your medical practitioner:

• is familiar with the Standards and able to do what's required 
• can complete the eyesight tests.

You may need to see an optometrist or an ophthalmologist for the eyesight tests. In this case, visit the optometrist first. Then give a copy of the eyesight test report to your medical practitioner at the assessment.

It may also be helpful to find a medical practitioner who is familiar with the work of seafarers. If you can't, the Standards contain details to help medical practitioners complete these assessments.

What to do if you disagree with the assessment

If you disagree with the outcome of your medical assessment, you can seek a second opinion.

You can ask a specialist to do further testing to assess if you are:

• fit for your intended duties at sea
• fit for restricted duties
• unfit.

Examples

Expand the following sections to see examples for some common conditions.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A seafarer has a BMI over 30 and their assesses them as not fit for duty.

The seafarer can either:

• choose to see another medical practitioner for a second opinion
• request a functional assessment.

A functional assessment tests abilities required on board, such as balance and strength. These tests may occur in a special facility or on board. See the Standard for more information on functional assessments.

Heart condition

A seafarer with a heart condition is seeing a cardiologist to manage the condition.

The seafarer asks the cardiologist to:

• review their results
• do an assessment as per the Standards to determine their medical fitness for sea.

If you cannot get a certificate of medical fitness

We introduced certificates of medical fitness to increase safety in the industry. If you can't get a certificate of medical fitness, the Standards consider you to be unfit for work at sea.

Under the Standards, medical practitioners can assess seafarers as temporarily or permanently unfit. If temporarily unfit, the practitioner should also state a minimum period before review.

Pregnancy

You can still get a certificate of medical fitness if you are pregnant. The Standards discuss risks associated with pregnancy. Medical practitioners can consider individual circumstances and balance risks with duty of care.

The Standards also recommend a consultation with your obstetrician. This may help to work out:

• what duties you can do safely
• how long you can do those duties
• when to get another assessment.

Your certificate of medical fitness does not become invalid when you become pregnant. But you should do a health assessment if your medical condition changes.

Responsibilities for employers

Employers are responsible for creating a safe workplace. This includes considering fitness for work if there is a change in an employee’s health status.

Employers should have a policy in place to manage the health and safety of pregnant crew. This should include: 

• an ongoing process of risk assessment throughout the pregnancy 
• consultation with the employee and their medical provider/s (e.g. obstetrician, midwife or GP)
• a plan for how the employee and employer will manage risks during the pregnancy.

Find more information for employers with pregnant employees at the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Download the Certificate of medical fitness for near coastal seafarers (AMSA form 1850) and the Standards for the medical assessment of near coastal seafarers for your practitioner.