SENTINEL

Sentinel is the rail industry's Authority to Work system that enables you to work safely on the infrastructure. Sentinel is owned and run by Network Rail, for the industry, and is supported by the Sentinel Scheme Rules. The Sentinel Scheme Rules apply to everyone who uses Sentinel, and outline responsibilities, policies and breaches that must be adhered to. You can find a copy here... Since 1999, Sentinel has been the chosen identity card scheme for making sure that people who work on or near Network Rail's infrastructure have basic competence and are medically fit to do so. The system, owned and developed by Network Rail, is based on a central database and a common system for checking that people hold a core competence, a medical certificate and a drugs & alcohol certificate. Originally a paper-based approach was taken and the system - though better - was not perfect. Re-printing of cards was necessary if something changed and there was no capability to easily verify or authenticate..

Primary location: United Kingdom