Too fat to drive a bus!
2 May 2008 | Author: Katie
A 12 stone bus driver has been turned down for a new job after being told she is too fat.
Marie Parker, 53, has 20-years experience in bus driving. She was refused work with bus company Translink after she was told that she was not “of acceptable medical standard”.
The Belfast-based firm informed the 4′11 driver that her body mass index was too high. BMI is a national measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight.
Mrs Parker said she had been asked for her height and weight on her Translink application form, but she did not know giving the information would prevent her from getting the job.
After she received her rejection letter, she wrote back to find out why she had failed.
“They wrote back telling me all bus drivers must meet the height/weight ratio,” she said.
“They actually told me: ‘If, however, you should wish to reduce your weight and contact us within the next six months we will be glad to consider you further’.”
A Translink spokesman said they tried to ensure that candidates for employment are fit and healthy.
“The body mass index ratio is just one of the methods we use to assess this. It is at the recruitment stage we have the opportunity to reject an application if the upper BMI limit is greater than 33 based on advice from specialists.”
Those already employed have a programme of health promotion checks.
This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 9:57 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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