DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Fatigue Management
Hayden Cater, Industry OHS Coordinator Minerals & Petroleum Regulation Branch
30/09/2003

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Overview of Session
Legislative Overview What is Fatigue Risk Management Model Examples of Prevention Methods Developing Healthy Work Programme Guidance Notes Further Information

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Major Legislative Requirements

Occupational Health and Safety Act (1985)
Section 21 (1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act - Provide and maintain so far as is practicable for employees a working environment that is safe and without risks to health Section 21 (2) (e) Provide information, instruction, training and supervision

Mines Regulations (2002)

Regulation 307

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Major Legislative Requirements

Mines Regulations (2002) - 307 Employee Fatigue (1) The operator of a mine must develop and implement strategies for the control of any risks to health and safety associated with employee fatigue. (2) Strategies under this regulation must include work arrangements that eliminate employee fatigue so far as is practicable. (3) The operator must develop and implement strategies under this regulation by 28 October 2003.

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Why Manage Health and Safety Risks?

Legislative Requirements - Duties Management of risks to health and safety Productivity Moral Requirements - Human Element damage to persons people damage to our community

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Definitions
What is Fatigue? The temporary inability, decrease in ability, or strong disinclination to respond to a situation, because of previous over-activity, either mental or physical.
Occupational Safety Service, Department of Labour

Weariness from bodily or mental exhaustion, a cause of weariness, labour exertions

Macquarie Dictionary - Third Edition

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Symptoms of Fatigue
Subjective feelings of weariness, solemness and distaste for work Sluggish thinking Reduced alertness Poor and slow perception Unwillingness to work Decline in both bodily and mental performance

Source: Grandjean Fitting the Task to the Man

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Examples of the effects of Fatigue

Fatigue can cause safety hazards particularly in safety critical jobs - loss of concentration, awareness Long term effects on health - continual exposure to the disruptions and dislocations that result from some work schedules have an adverse effect on the health of individuals. This can include:
cardiovascular disease gastrointestinal disorders

Social and Family Life - work schedules may influence the time available for employees to participate in family and social events
Source: Grandjean Fitting the Task to the Man

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

The Risk Management Model

Establish the context Identify hazards and their potential effects Establish the level of risk Assess the risk against pre-determined criteria Manage the risk Monitor the risk AS / NZS 4360: Risk Management

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Establish the Context

AS / NZS 4360: Risk Assessment Define the organisational and strategic context in which the activity will occurs Identification and documentation of the physical and legislative environments, various stakeholders, political environment Establish the goals of the risk assessment study Scope and limits of any analysis Specific nature of the risk management study

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Hazards and Risks

HAZARD - The potential to cause harm, ill health or injury, damage to property, plant, products or the environment, production losses or increased liabilities. RISK - a combination of Likelihood of harm (or potential harm) occurring and the Severity of the harm (or potential harm) CONSEQUENCE - the (potential) ultimate outcome of the release of the hazard. RISK TREATMENT - selection and implementation of appropriate options for dealing with risk

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Identify Hazards and Potential Risk Factors

The structure of work rosters workload irregular and unplanned work schedules potential call outs for break downs shift length, night shift, extended work routines planned and unplanned overtime proximity of accommodation or residence method of travel to and from work - risk of commuting incidents environmental factors - exposure to heat, humidity, noise, vibration Increased exposure to other hazards (noise, dust, etc) access to balanced diet and rest

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Assessment Methods
Qualitative - Risk Assessment - Risk Matrix Questionnaires - Specialist surveys to identify risks and at risk persons recording subjective impressions of fatigue Specialist Ergonomic Studies
Task analysis Mental work loads Flicker-fusion frequency of the eye Psychomotor tests (measure functions that involve reaction times)

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Establish Risk Level

The nature of the hazard the nature of existing controls and recovery measures assess the likelihood of release of the hazard determine the potential consequences

RISK = Likelihood X Consequences Risk Score (relative risk ranking)

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Risk Matrix - Safety Assessment

Likelihood Could occur in mine lifetime 1 / 10 years Has occurred in our company 1 / 100 years Has occurred in the industry sector - 1 / 1000 years Has occurred in industry worldwide 1 / 10,000 years Not known to have occurred <1 / 10,000 years Risk Index in squares = likelihood x severity Requires priority action Must be reduced SFAP Acceptable if SFAP

5 4 3 2 1

5 4 3 2 1 1 No injuries

10 8 6 4 2 2 First Aid treatment

15 12 9 6 3 3 Medical treatment required

20 16 12 8 4 4 Extensive injuries

25 20 15 10 5 5 Death

Severity / Consequence

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Treat the Risks

Selection and Implementation of appropriate controls for dealing with risk Hierarchy of Control Eliminate Substitution Engineering Design Administration Personal Protective Equipment

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Monitor the Risks

Has the risk or risk level changed?
Changes to technology, legislation, codes of practice, work practices, new information, etc

What is the overall risk level posed (severity) the nature and adequacy of existing controls and recovery measures
Audits Inspections Reviews - senior management Specialist Studies Annual Reporting (company and legislative requirements)

Quality Accreditation Audits

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Overview of Prevention Methods

Primary Prevention
creating a healthy place of work and controlling work organisational risk factors

Secondary Prevention
focuses on improving the goodness of fit between people and tasks

Tertiary Prevention
focuses on helping the person who is regularly exposed to the risk factors and is suffering the effects of fatigue

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Examples of Primary Prevention

Designing work so that it is safe and healthy creating a workplace so that the work is within a persons capabilities creating flexible, balanced work schedules providing family friendly work hazard identification systems systems for the identification and reporting of risk factors

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Examples of Secondary Prevention

Improving the fit between the person and the job providing training providing mentoring and support providing feedback assessing workload - ability match moving the person to a more suitable job using best practice personnel procedures monitoring of issues

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Examples of Tertiary Prevention

Helping the individual cope controlling the timing and duration of the exposure to the risk factors inducting / training persons into ways of dealing with the risk factors training in time management, temporary reduction of workloads providing contact details for support services

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

A Healthy Work Programme

A healthy work programme is a planned and measurable program that aims to identify (a) features of healthy work and (b) the workplace risk factors that reduce peoples coping abilities. A healthy work program develops measures to manage risk factors and involves
confirming the good things about work identifying further good things that can be added to work identifying risk factors in the workplace developing ways to eliminate, isolate or minimise those risk factors training and supporting employees to deal with risk factors monitoring the success of the programme revising the programme if necessary
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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Developing a Healthy Work Policy

Develop a policy framework Appoint a healthy work coordinator Create a programme plan Conduct a healthy work assessment Choose the right prevention methods Communicate the changes Evaluation of the program

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Employee Involvement
Consultation with employees
OHS Act and Mines Regulations

Role of occupational health and safety representatives

if elected If constituted

Role of the OHS Committee Identification of risk factors Selection of controls evaluation of the programme

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Purpose of a Guidance Note

Sets out legislation and duty of care requirements Set out the Departments minimum requirements and expectations Encourages sites to develop and implement practical solutions for relevant issues Provide advice on how to manage fatigue in the workplace Not a legislative requirement but practical assistance Should be read in conjunction with OHS Act and Mines Regulations

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Development of a Guidance Note by Department of Primary Industries

Draft Guidance Note developed and on DPI web page Feedback from key stakeholders sought Revise draft and seek further key stakeholder comment Publish Guidance Note Conduct information sessions on Guidance Note Place final copy on web site Provide in hard copy - by request

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

General Contents of a Guidance Note

Introduction Legislative Requirements Overview of the issue and background Definitions Developing a Policy Suggested contents - developing controls
information, training, employee assistance, peer support, evaluation, monitoring and review

Consultative requirements Further information Sources References

Guidance Note
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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Comment on the Draft Guidance Note

Available on the MPR web page or hard copy by request Comments to Industry OHS Coordinator Minerals Petroleum Regulation 8/250 Victoria Pde East Melbourne 3002

Guidance Note
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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Further Information
Department of Primary Industries WWW.dpi.vic.gov.au WorkCover WWW.workcover.vic.gov.au Workinfo WWW.workinfo.gov.nz

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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES

Fatigue Management
Hayden Cater, Industry OHS Coordinator Minerals & Petroleum Regulation Branch
30/09/2003