Fatigue Management Policy

  1. POLICY

ABC Company is committed to providing and maintaining safe systems of work for all its workers. ABC Company recognizes that fatigue is an occupational and safety hazard that must be actively controlled to make good on its health and safety commitment.

  1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Policy, which is an element of ABC Company’s Fatigue Risk Management System (System) to establish the requirements for identifying, assessing and managing fatigue hazards so as to maximize workers’ health and well being and reduce the risk of fatigue-related injuries and incidents in the workplace.

  1. SCOPE & COVERAGE

This Policy applies to all staff, including but not limited to those whose work involves shifts work, extended hours, on-call arrangements or other conditions likely to result in inordinate amounts of fatigue.

  1. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Policy:

Employee Assistance means the ABC Company Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides confidential counselling and support to staff and their families on a range of issues, such as alcohol and drug related problems, emotional stress, and relationship difficulties. It should not be used for counselling relating to an injury that is the subject of a worker’s compensation claim or as post-incident counselling following a traumatic incident in the workplace. Refer to the EAP policy for further details.

Extended hours means hours that are an extension of the standard working week, as a result of overtime, on-call arrangements or secondary employment.

Fatigue means mental or physical exhaustion that prevents a person from functioning normally. In the work environment this can mean that a person is also unable to function safely. Fatigue has many causes, both work and non-work-related but is usually related to inadequate restorative sleep. Non-work factors include family responsibilities, social activities, health issues—such as sleep disorders—study commitments and sporting commitments. Work factors include shift work—especially night shift— and working extended hours. While everyone doesn’t respond to fatigue in the same way, fatigue can cause reduced concentration, impaired co-ordination, compromised judgement and slower reaction times, which ultimately increase the risk of incidents and injuries.

Restorative sleep means the process by which the body overcomes fatigue. It involves cycles of deep sleep that allow a person to recuperate and wake up refreshed.

Shift work means work performed outside the hours between 0600 and 1800 hours, Monday to Friday.

Sleep cycles are determined by the body’s natural biological rhythms (also known as circadian rhythms or the ‘body clock’), which are repeated every 24 hours. As well as regulating sleep cycles, biological rhythms also regulate body temperature, digestion and hormone levels.

  1. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Managing fatigue and fatigue hazards is a collective responsibility in which every stakeholder in ABC Company has a role to play.

5.1 Executive Management

The corporate leadership of ABC Company is responsible for oversight, review and revision of this Policy and the System, and for providing the budgetary and other resources necessary to ensure their effective implementation.

5.2 Managers & Supervisors

Managers and supervisors are responsible for:

  • Performing fatigue hazard identification and assessment;
  • Applying risk management in consultation with staff and in accordance with the System and its principles to control identified fatigue hazards;
  • Ensuring systems of work that minimize the risk of fatigue—for example, reasonable rosters, reasonable overtime practices and adequate recuperation between shifts;
  • Providing opportunities for workers to obtain adequate rest from work;
  • Monitoring workloads, work patterns and rostering arrangements to ensure workers are not placed at risk from fatigue;
  • Consulting with workers when introducing shift work or new rostering systems;
  • Providing information, instruction and training about risks to health, safety or welfare of workers involved with shift work, extended hours and on-call arrangements;
  • Ensuring workers performing shift work are properly supervised and that tasks are undertaken safely;
  • Referring workers with non-work fatigue related issues to the EAP;
  • Accounting for fatigue factors in investigating workplace incidents and near misses;
  • Auditing the effectiveness of the Policy and System.

5.3 Workers

Workers are responsible for:

  • Participating in risk management processes;
  • Using time off from work to recuperate in order to be fit and able for the next shift;
  • Participating in education and training in order to gain an understanding of fatigue;
  • Avoiding behaviours and practices that contribute to fatigue and which could place themselves and others at risk—for example, secondary employment or not using time off work to recuperate;
  • Recognizing signs of fatigue that could place the health, safety and well-being of themselves or others at risk and reporting this to their manager or supervisor.
  1. VIOLATIONS

Violations of this Policy and/or any of its associated procedures may result in disciplinary action being initiated in accordance with the ABC Company Progressive Discipline Policy.