Fatigue Management Procedure – SEW39 10-18 Version: 1.0 – under review Page 1 of 13

Fatigue Management Procedure

INTRODUCTION

This Procedure supports the Fitness for Work Procedure and should be utilised in conjunction with it.

The effects of fatigue decrease performance and productivity in the workplace and can increase the potential for incidents and injuries to occur.

COMPLIANCE

This is a compliance requirement under the:

• Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2016

• Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2017

• Model Code of Practice - How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks

INTENT The purpose of this procedure is to facilitate a safe, healthy and productive workplace through the mitigation of health risks to personnel associated with their own, or others fitness for work.

CDU employees are required to follow this procedure. Contractors are required to have a documented procedure that meets or exceeds this procedure.

RELEVANT DEFINITIONS

In the context of this document Fatigue means an acute, on-going state of tiredness that leads to mental or physical exhaustion and prevents people from functioning within normal boundaries. It is more than a feeling of tired and drowsy, it is a physical condition that can occur when a person’s physical or mental limits are reached.

PROCEDURES

Fatigue can occur as a result of various factors that may be work-related, lifestyle-related or a combination of both. The management of workplace fatigue is a shared responsibility between management and each individual.

The effects of fatigue decrease performance and productivity in the workplace and additionally they increase the potential for incidents and injuries to occur, by placing the fatigued worker and others in the workplace at increased risk.

Sleep is the only effective long-term strategy to prevent and manage fatigue. While tired muscles can recover with rest, the brain can only recover with sleep. The most beneficial sleep is a good night’s sleep taken in a single continuous period. The optimum amount of sleep varies for each person; with an adult generally requiring 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily. When less sleep is taken, a sleep debt can occur, which accumulates until either fatigue is experienced, or enough sleep is taken to overcome the sleep debt.

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Performance levels drop as work periods become longer and sleep loss increases. Studies have shown that staying awake for 17 hours leads to the same level of impaired performance as having a blood alcohol content of 0.050%. Staying awake for 21 hours is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.100%.

Long working hours can increase accident risks. For the first 8 or 9 hours in a shift, the accident risk is constant, but after 12 hours, the risk approximately doubles and after 16 hours, it trebles.

Signs of Fatigue

Display of the following signs may indicate fatigue:

• headaches and/or dizziness

• wandering or disconnected thoughts, daydreaming, lack of concentration

• tired eyes, blurred vision, difficulty keeping eyes open

• constant yawning, a drowsy relaxed feeling, falling asleep at work

• moodiness, such as irritability, poor communication

• difficulty in concentration; easily distracted, low motivation

• impaired decision-making and judgment, increased errors

• slower reaction times, reflexes

• reduced memory, short term memory problems

• reduced hand-eye coordination and visual perception

• falling asleep for less than a second to a few seconds, and being unaware of this (micro-sleeps)

• drifting in and out of traffic lanes or missing gear changes and turn offs when driving

• reduced vigilance, evidence suggests may be more likely to engage in risk taking behaviour

• hallucinations

Fatigue and Safety

Fatigue increases the risk of making errors and causing incidents and injuries. Depending on the task at hand, this may present significant risks e.g.

• operating machinery and driving vehicles

• undertaking critical tasks that require a high level of concentration

• where the consequence of error is serious

Workplace Considerations

The following workplace considerations have the potential to impact fatigue:

• shift lengths and rosters

• call-outs

• adequate rest breaks during shift

• adequate recovery time between shifts

• type of work being undertaken (e.g. physically or mentally demanding work scheduled when more alert)

• travel time (if applicable) Roster systems should be risk assessed to ensure appropriate fatigue controls are in place prior to implementation.

Usual Site Working Hours

The length of the usual working day should not exceed 12 hours in any 24-hour period. This is inclusive of work travel (i.e. travel from workplace base to alternative work site and back.)

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All working rosters should consider fatigue management strategies in their planning. Where travel internationally requires longer periods of wake time and crossing of time zones, suitable rest times should be factored into work timetables i.e. rest period scheduled on arrival at destination prior to commencing work, driving not required in unfamiliar area and or when fatigued.

Work Outside Usual Working Hours

Work outside usual working hours shall only be performed with the prior written permission of Line Manager via a signed written risk assessment process.

The approval of work outside usual working hours / additional work hours shall be on the basis of the following:

• Even in emergencies and one-off conditions, work hours for individuals shall not exceed 14 hours working hours within a 24-hour period

• Adequate rest breaks shall be provided during shifts

• Call out rosters shall take fatigue management into consideration and shall include adequate breaks between completion of call-out and commencement of normal work rosters

• Travel to and from work site/s to be appropriately managed

• Activity planning to consider potential risks and exposures (local environmental conditions, task factors, travel post shift, personal factors) to hazards

• Communication / contact with others e.g. to monitor fatigue, to check on safety

Management of Fatigue

Fatigue in the workplace should be managed to prevent any exposure, accidents, or ill-effects to the workers involved, the community and/or the environment. To manage these risks, the following basic risk management steps should be applied:

• Identify the hazard

• Assess the risk

• Identify Controls

• Implement Controls; then

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the controls

Identify the hazard

Identify the factors within your work area that contribute to fatigue. They may include:

• length of shifts worked - the length of shifts worked can contribute to fatigue

• previous hours and days worked - the effects of fatigue are cumulative, workers may have sleep debt due to the previous hours and days worked, which can contribute to fatigue (see Appendix 2 of this Procedure)

• type of work being performed - pay particular attention to the level of physical and/or mental effort that is required

• lack of adequate breaks – pay attention to environment (e.g. air conditioned in heat/cold) and length of breaks

• time of the day when the work is being performed - remember that disrupting the body's circadian rhythms can cause fatigue and also impact on task performance

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• non work related factors e.g. workers lifestyle, family responsibilities, workers health, medication, travel to / from work, drug and alcohol use

Assess the Risk

Assess the risks associated with the workplace factors that contribute to fatigue. Risk is the likelihood and consequence of injury or illness to the individual or others due to fatigue.

• Utilise Charles Darwin University risk management processes

• When assessing risk related to fatigue, consider contributing factors such as:

• time of day - incidents more likely during circadian low points (e.g. at night, especially between 2am and 6am)

• length of shifts worked - the effects of fatigue are cumulative; workers are more likely to feel fatigued in the final hours, than in the first few hours of a shift

• lack of opportunity to recover from fatigue - incidents are more likely to occur if workers are not given a sufficient opportunity to recover from fatigue e.g. on call work, shift changes

• how often the situation occurs - generally, the more often a worker is fatigued, the greater the likelihood is that an incident will occur

• how many people are fatigued - generally, the greater the number of workers who are fatigued, the more likely an incident is to occur

• the skills and experience of workers fatigued - consider training and competence both to perform work-related tasks and manage fatigue

• any special characteristics of the people involved – e.g. medication for a condition that is affected by circadian rhythms (asthma, depression, diabetes)

• the duration of exposure to fatigue - generally, the longer a worker is fatigued, the more likely an incident will occur

• the level of risk inherent in the work - incidents are more likely to occur in work that is generally hazardous, e.g. operating heavy machinery or plant

Identify the Controls

Control measures should be introduced according to the hierarchy of control. These may be used alone, or in combination, to minimise and control exposure to fatigue. Because fatigue is caused by a combination of factors, the most effective way to manage it is by using a combination of risk control measures.

• Elimination o eliminate night shifts / extended work hours where possible o maximising teleconferencing to eliminate driving where possible o overnight stays when ‘away work’ cannot be completed within usual work hours

• Substitution – no obvious controls

• Engineering o automation o remote control from a central control room

• Administrative

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o awareness sessions in Fitness for Work, including fatigue management o scheduling low risk work during periods of high fatigue, e.g. night time (especially

12am to 6am) and/or in the latter half of shifts o scheduling complex tasks to be performed only during the day (e.g. driving) o limiting driving to within a worker’s usual work hours o appropriate supervision, particularly during periods of high fatigue (e.g. night shift,

latter half of shifts), and for hazardous work o contingency plans if workers become fatigued — e.g. assess and / or removing

fatigued workers from work activities where there is risk to health and/or safety o procedures for high risk works, especially during high fatigue periods (12am – 6am) o job rotation for repetitive or monotonous work, or work that involves heavy physical

demands o appropriate lighting levels for tasks o adequate rest breaks for rest / recovery, hydration and eating o safe operating procedures o processes for employee to inform supervisor of potential fitness for work issues o pre-employment medicals and routine medicals as required o incident investigations / analysis

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – no obvious controls

Monitor and review

Review the effectiveness of the fatigue control measures that were implemented.

• consult with workers, supervisors and health and safety – do the workers report symptoms of fatigue

• include potential for fatigue as a causal or contributing factor during in incident investigations For examples of Fatigue Assessment Tools, see the Appendices

• Appendix 1 Fatigue Risk Identification Checklist

• Appendix 2 Fatigue Likelihood Score (FLS) Calculator

• Appendix 3 Fatigue Likelihood Score (FLS) Calculator examples

• Appendix 4 Fatigue Self-Assessment

ESSENTIAL SUPPORTING INFORMATION

Internal Health and Safety Policy Fitness for Work Procedure External External References Guide for Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work – SafeWork Australia Nov 2013

Document History and Version Control

Last amendment: Oct 2018 Next Review: Oct 2021

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Sponsor: Manager SEW

Contact Officer: Manager SEW

Version Date Approved Approved by Brief Description

1.00 Date Meredith Parry Creation of original document and upload to CDU website.

Version Date Title Click or tap here to enter text.

Version Date Title Click or tap here to enter text.

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Appendix 1 Fatigue Risk Identification Checklist

This checklist provides guidance to assist in identifying some of the risks of fatigue. If the answer is yes to any of the questions, fatigue risks may need to be further assessed and control measures implemented.

Mental and physical work demands

Does anyone carry out work for long periods which is physically demanding? (for example, tasks

which are especially tiring and repetitive such as bricklaying, process work, moving bags of cement, felling trees)

Yes/No

Does anyone carry out work for long periods which is mentally demanding? (for example, work

requiring vigilance, work requiring continuous concentration and minimal stimulation, work performed under pressure, work to tight deadlines, emergency call outs, interacting/dealing with the public)

Yes/No

Work scheduling and planning

Does anyone consistently work or travel between midnight and 6am? Yes/No

Does the work schedule prevent workers having at least one full day off per week? Yes/No

Does the roster make it difficult for workers to consistently have at least two consecutive nights sleep per week?

Yes/No

Do work practices include on-call work, call-backs or sleepovers? Yes/No

Does the roster differ from the hours actually worked? Yes/No

Does the work roster include rotating shifts? Yes/No

Does anyone have to travel more than one hour to get to their job? Yes/No

Work Time

Does anyone work in excess of 12 hours regularly (including overtime)? Yes/No

Does anyone have less than 10 hours break between each shift? (for example, split shifts, quick shift

changeovers) Yes/No

Is work performed at low body clock times (between 2 am and 6 am)? Yes/No

Environmental conditions

Is work carried out in harsh or uncomfortable conditions? (for example, hot, humid or cold temperatures)

Yes/No

Does anyone work with plant or machinery that vibrates? Yes/No

Is anyone working with hazardous chemicals? Yes/No

Is anyone consistently exposed to loud noise? Yes/No

Non-work factors

Are workers arriving at work fatigued? Yes/No

Source – Guide for Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work – SafeWork Australia Nov 2013

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Appendix 2 Fatigue Likelihood Score (FLS) Calculator Name

Date

Step Scoring

1 Calculate X

Time fell asleep last night

Time awoke Hours of Sleep last 24 hours

2 Score X

X-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 24 hours

5 or more

4 3 2 1 x 0 4 8 12 16

3 Calculate Y

Time fell asleep night before last

Time awoke yesterday

Hours of sleep night before last

Hours of sleep last 48 hours (x plus hours of sleep night before last)

4 Score Y

Y-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 48 hours

12 or more

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Y

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

5 Calculate Z

Time woke up today

Time now Hours since woke up

6 Score Z

Add one point for each hour since you have been awake greater than the hours in Y

minus

= (do not use negative values – zero

if Y is greater than Z)

Z

7 Total Score

X

+Y +Z = FLS (Fatigue

likelihood Score)

FLS

Score 0 1-6 7-12 12+

Risk Low Medium Significant High

Actions No Action required unless higher level hazards are present

Notify Line Manager of score; determine counter measures; self-pace; self and team monitoring; task rotation

Notify Line Manager of score; organise supervisory checks; determine counter measures; self and team monitoring; task rotation or re-assignment

STOP Work; notify Line Manager of score; do not conduct safety critical tasks / behaviours; do not recommence until fit for work

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The FLS Fatigue assessment can be used prior to shift and / or where an extension to hours / call is being considered. Factor such as quality of sleep may also affect alertness and subjective fatigue.

Your FLS Score (above) predicts the following

Potential Behavioural Impairments

12 • Struggling to stay focused on any task • Difficulty staying awake at times • Micro-sleeps likely

10 • Clear loss of motivation. • Significant loss of situational awareness • Task performance impaired

8 • Clear evidence of behavioural impairment. • Difficulty sustaining attention on simple tasks

6 • Difficulty concentrating • Occasional lapses of attention. • Poor judgement on complex task

4 • Difficulty in maintaining extended concentration for complex tasks.

2 • Slowed cognition • Occasional minor fatigue behaviours • Minor mood changes observable

0 • Not fully alert but able to perform tasks safely • Few external signs of fatigue

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Appendix 3 Fatigue Likelihood Score (FLS) Calculator Examples Example 1: Today is Tuesday. M Mouse went to bed last night at 10pm and got up at 6am. The night before (Sunday night) he went to bed at 11pm and got up at 5am. It is currently 4pm on Tuesday.

Name Date

Step Scoring

1 Calculate X

Time fell asleep last night

10pm Time awoke 6am Hours of Sleep last 24 hours

8

2 Score X

X-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 24 hours

8 5 or more

4 3 2 1 x 0 4 8 12 16

0

3 Calculate Y

Time fell asleep night before last

11pm Time awoke yesterday

5am Hours of sleep night before last

6 Hours of sleep last 48 hours (x plus hours of sleep night before last)

6+8

=14

4 Score Y

Y-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 48 hours

14 12 or more

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Y

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

0

5 Calculate Z

Time woke up today

6am Time now 4pm Hours since woke up

10

6 Score Z

Add one point for each hour since you have been awake greater than the hours in Y

10 minus 14

= (do not use negative values – zero

if Y is greater than Z)

Z

0

7 Total Score

X

0 +Y 0 +Z 0 = FLS (Fatigue

likelihood Score) 0 FLS

0

Score 0 1-6 7-12 12+

Risk Low Medium Significant High

Actions No Action required unless higher level hazards are present

Notify Supervisor of score; determine counter measures; self-pace; self and team monitoring; task rotation

Notify Supervisor of score; organise supervisory checks; determine counter measures; self and team monitoring; task rotation or re-assignment

STOP Work; notify Supervisor of score; do not conduct safety critical tasks / behaviours; do not recommence until fit for work

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Example 2: Today is Tuesday. D Duck went to bed last night at 11pm and got up at 4am. The night before (Sunday night) he went to bed at 11pm and got up at 4am. It is currently 4pm on Tuesday.

Name Date

Step Scoring

1 Calculate X

Time fell asleep last night

11pm Time awoke 4am Hours of Sleep last 24 hours

5

2 Score X

X-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 24 hours

5

5 or more

4 3 2 1 x 0 4 8 12 16

0

3 Calculate Y

Time fell asleep night before last

11pm Time awoke yesterday

4am Hours of sleep night before last

5 Hours of sleep last 48 hours (x plus hours of sleep night before last)

5+5

=10

4 Score Y

Y-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 48 hours

10 12 or more

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Y

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

4

5 Calculate Z

Time woke up today

4am Time now 4pm Hours since woke up

12

6 Score Z

Add one point for each hour since you have been awake greater than the hours in Y

12 minus 10

= (do not use negative values – zero

if Y is greater than Z)

Z

2

7 Total Score

X

0 +Y 4 +Z 2 = FLS (Fatigue

likelihood Score) 6 FLS

6

Score 0 1-5 6-12 12+

Risk Low Medium Significant High

Actions No Action required unless higher level hazards are present

Notify Supervisor of score; determine countermeasures; self and team monitoring; task rotation

Notify Supervisor of Score; organise supervisory checks; determine counter measures; self and team monitoring; task rotation or re-assignment

STOP Work; notify Supervisor of score; do not conduct safety critical tasks / behaviours; do not recommence until fit for work

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Example 3: Today is Tuesday. P Pan went to bed last night at 12mn and got up at 4.30am. The night before (Sunday night) he went to bed at 12mn and got up at 4am. It is currently 2pm on Tuesday.

Name Date

Step Scoring

1 Calculate X

Time fell asleep last night

12mn Time awoke 4.30am Hours of Sleep last 24 hours

4.5

2 Score X

X-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 24 hours

4.5

5 or more

4 3 2 1 x 0 4 8 12 16

4

3 Calculate Y

Time fell asleep night before last

12mn Time awoke yesterday

4am Hours of sleep night before last

4 Hours of sleep last 48 hours (x plus hours of sleep night before last)

5+4.5

= 9.5

4 Score Y

Y-How many hours sleep did you get in prior 48 hours

9.5 12 or more

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Y

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

6

5 Calculate Z

Time woke up today

4am Time now 2pm Hours since woke up

10

6 Score Z

Add one point for each hour since you have been awake greater than the hours in Y

12 minus 9.5

= (do not use negative values – zero

if Y is greater than Z)

Z

2.5

7 Total Score

X

4 +Y 6 +Z 2.5 = FLS (Fatigue

likelihood Score) 12.5 FLS

6

Score 0 1-5 6-12 12+

Risk Low Medium Significant High

Actions No Action required unless higher level hazards are present

Notify Supervisor of score; determine countermeasures; self and team monitoring; task rotation

Notify Supervisor of Score; organise supervisory checks; determine counter measures; self and team monitoring; task rotation or re-assignment

STOP Work; notify Supervisor of score; do not conduct safety critical tasks / behaviours; do not recommence until fit for work

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Appendix 4 Fatigue Self-Assessment (conduct at any time during shift)

This assessment is a subjective self-assessment of alertness and may be used to help predict potential impairment as the shift progresses. It could be useful in deciding:

• when extra supervision might be needed

• what behaviours to look for

• an individual’s potential capacity when planning safety critical tasks

• an individual’s capacity to commute home

• risks from impairments to individuals on call out (emergencies or breakdowns, etc)

Fatigue Self-Assessment

1 Fully Alert

2 Very lively

3 Okay

4 A little tired

5 Moderately Tired

6 Extremely Tired

7 Completely Exhausted

Where you assessed your alertness to be a 5, 6 or 7 and the work tasks may be considered demanding, monotonous and / or the work environment too hot, cold, humid or noisy; report this to your supervisor.

Control Responses

Samn-Perelli Fatigue

Checklist1 Risk level Controls (suggested examples only)

1 - 3 low • No specific controls necessary (except in the presence of other indicators i.e.

symptoms, errors or incidents)

4 - 5 moderate

• Prior sleep/wake and behavioural assessment

• Individual controls such as work break

• Increase supervision or team-based monitoring

6 high

• Document with shift supervisor

• Prior sleep/wake and behavioural assessment

• Individual controls such as work break

• Task re-assignment

• Team-based controls

• Support napping and safe-home policies

7 extreme • Intolerable risk - no individual rostered beyond this threshold

• Any proposed exceptions to be escalated to the group management for approval

Source - Samn S.W, Perelli L.P Estimating aircrew fatigue: a technique with application to airlift operations: Brooks AFB, USAF School of Aerospace Medicine; 1982. Report No.: SAM-TR-82-