Welcome to Focus on Fatigue, the official FaidSafe® newsletter
Focus on Fatigue is a collaborative newsletter between FaidSafe alliance partners. Views expressed in articles and links provided are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, all contributing partners.
Issue 19 – June 2012
Dear Reader,
The chances are if you are reading this article you are one of the growing number of managers, and shift-workers who work with fatigue and its impact on individual performance, operations, business productivity and ultimately safety, wherever the workplace may be.
The importance of managing fatigue was impressed upon me boldly when I reviewed an article, which reported a pilot’s near miss with a military plane when he mistook Venus for the other plane! His evasive action was driven by fatigue. Details of the event can be reviewed within the “In the News’ section below.
It would seem napping procedures may not have been strictly followed in this case and this does lend questions as to an individual’s ability and tendency to ignore the warning signs of sleepiness, not recognise them in the first place, or focus on their busy tasks schedules and work pressure which drives their function at the expense of processing information. This underlines the widely accepted notion that sleepiness followed by fatigue remains a key business risk.
In the featured article below, “Risk assessments and fatigue – Getting the most out of the process” Tu Mushenko, InterDynamics Faidsafe Consultant outlines the importance of risk assessments in the development of appropriate Fatigue Management Plans to deal with these risks, and importantly how different methodologies target or omit various pieces of the puzzle. The comprehensive Fatigue Hazard Analysis (FHA) risk assessment process recommended was developed in conjunction with Zurich Insurance, incorporating the Zurich Hazard Analysis methodology employed by Zurich Risk Engineers, and applying it to high risk roles, specifically in the context of fatigue. This process is the pinnacle of “Step 1: Determine Risk Profile” in the FaidSafe FRMS methodology as it facilitates the taking into account of all available data streams (Hours of Work diagnostics, staff survey results, accident and incident data, absenteeism data, task risk profiles and existing controls) to determine the appropriateness of the current level of fatigue-related risk, as well as what extra control measures may be needed as a priority. Crucially, active engagement with employees who perform the work is a key part of the process, and facilitates the decision making required to yield practical and highly relevant Fatigue Management Plans and work procedures. At the end of a Fatigue Hazard Analysis (FHA) workshop organisations are in a position to understand their risk profile and determine an appropriate Fatigue Tolerance Level (FTL) as an Hours of Work-related control when rostering with a bio-mathematical model such as FAID®.
Managing fatigue remains an important agenda item at the global, organisational and individual level, as demonstrated by the level of interest and range of activities pertaining to the root causes represented within the ‘In the News’ section below. With each organisation comes unique task-risk profiles and operating environments, thus the importance of the risk-management approach to appropriately dealing with the risks associated with fatigue.
How do you manage fatigue in the workplace? If you have successful stories, initiatives or comments we would love to hear from you.
If you wish to unsubscribe from our newsletter, please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email. Thank you for your continued support!
Work safely.
Fiona Johnston & Peter Mushenko
Shiftwork Services InterDynamics
Feature Article
Risk assessments and fatigue – Getting the most out of the process
Tu Mushenko, InterDynamics FaidSafe Consultant
In a recent Sleep Medicine Reviews article by D. Dawson, J. Chapman, and M. Thomas1, fatigue-proofing is discussed as an approach to reducing fatigue-related risks, by increasing the likelihood that a fatigue-related error is detected prior to translating into an incident or accident. InterDynamics’ Fatigue Hazard Analysis (FHA) risk assessment workshop provides a process for identifying such strategies by assessing the likelihood and consequence of fatigue-triggered events and determining associated risk improvement actions.
InterDynamics and their associates have performed more than 35 FHA’s to date, across Aviation, Rail, Road Transport, Marine, Emergency Services, Oil & Gas, Mining & Port Operations, covering thousands of workers in various roles internationally.
In the News
Sleepy pilot mistook planet for plane
“Sleepy pilot mistook planet for a plane” Stuff – World
A sleepy Air Canada pilot who mistakenly believed his jet was about to crash into a US military plane forced a sudden dive that caused 16 injuries among passengers and crew on a transatlantic flight, a report says.
The Transportation Safety Board report released on Monday (Tuesday NZT) describes the 46 seconds in which the plane dived and lurched back up during an overnight Air Canada flight from Toronto to Zurich in January 2011. Those hurt weren’t wearing seatbelts, the report said.
Scientists learn how to reset body clocks
Michelle Henderson – “Scientists learn how to reset the body clocks” – The Australian
SHIFT workers and international travellers could in future receive treatment to reset their disrupted body clocks to improve their health.
Scientists are working towards developing drugs that target two genes that have recently been found to play a crucial role in regulating the body’s circadian rhythms.
Chris Liddle, an Australian scientist involved in the international study, says the discovery highlights the importance of the genes in the liver to regulate digestion at appropriate times.
Professor Liddle, from the University of Sydney’s Westmead Millennium Institute, said people with circadian disturbances, such as shift workers, tend to have higher incidences of obesity and diabetes.
More…
Stopping sleepiness
Andrea Petersen – “Stopping sleepiness” – The Wall Street Journal of Health and Wellness Sociology
It’s a puzzle that has long plagued scientists: How to easily measure sleepiness before we notice it ourselves. Researchers in labs around the world are making headway and envisioning a future in which testing sleepiness is considered part of general good health.
5 ways sleeping less makes you gain weight
“5 Ways sleeping less makes you gain weight” – ABC News – Health
If you’re what researchers call a short sleeper (measured by how long you sleep each night—5.5 to 6 hours or less qualifies you), you’ll have trouble losing weight, no doubt about it. In a 7-year study of 7,022 middle-aged people, Finnish researchers found that women who reported sleep problems were more likely to experience a major weight gain (defined as 11 pounds or more).
You know that sleep and weight gain may be linked, but why is that? Here’s what the earth-shattering new research has revealed, and why lack of sleep could be stalling your ability to lose weight and keep it off:
Why do we dream?
Matt Ridley – “To Sleep, Per Chance to Dream but Why” – The Wall Street Journal – Mind and Matter
In the past, people often had one explanation for sleep and another for dreams. That now seems wrong. One of the chief functions of sleep seems to be achieved during dreaming: the consolidation of memory.
Sleep app aims to ‘manipulate’ dreams
Flexible workplace promotes better health and wellbeing” – BBC News, Edinburgh, Fife and East Scotland
A smartphone app for what is hoped to be the world’s largest dreaming experiment has been launched at the Edinburgh Science Festival.
DreamON monitors a person 20 minutes before they want to wake, playing a ‘soundscape’ designed to invoke pleasant scenarios, such as lying by the sea or walking in the countryside.
Alliance Partner News
Integrated Safety Support
Integrated Safety Support invites you to sign up for a free demonstration of our Fatigue Awareness and Management eLearning course which is the most up-to-date online course available.
The eLearning course has been developed specifically for employees, supervisors, rostering personnel, managers and contractors. The aim of the course is to improve awareness about fatigue related risks and provide practical information about how to improve personal fatigue management.
Highly informative and easy to understand, this eLearning course offers participants who have successfully completed the course an option to print a Certificate of Completion.
Click here for a free demonstration.
We are happy to offer volume pricing to organisations wishing to implement the course in their workplace, making this course an affordable and valuable investment in managing fatigue.
For further information please contact Adam at the Melbourne office on 1300 98 57 58 or via email at training@integratedsafety.com.au .
Avinet prepares to celebrate 100th customer
Now in their seventh year, web-based software solution providers Avinet are gearing up to celebrate their 100th customer for the year, after significant efforts in increasing awareness on their aviation software product, Air Maestro®. Avinet are proud to reveal that they now have over 5000 users accessing their systems worldwide, with a strong growth in the charter and rescue sectors throughout international markets such as US, UK, South Africa and NZ, in addition to Australia. The company are well on track to reach their target, already acquiring an additional 12 customers this year (and continuing to expand on this)!
Air Maestro® is designed to help achieve greater operational safety, efficiency and compliance with ease. The software offers core components of an integrated Safety Management System (SMS), designed around ICAO requirements. Unique to other SMS applications, Air Maestro also includes comprehensive Fatigue and Operational Management modules which empower customers to effectively manage their business and assist with achieving regulatory compliance.
For regular updates and further information on Avinet and their software solutions, visit their website at www.avinet.com.au or sign up to receive their quarterly ‘The Maestro’ newsletter via http://www.avinet.com.au/newsletters.
Avinet newsletter More…
InterDynamics
InterDynamics maintains its commitment to meet and exceed market expectations through quality FRMS service delivery and the ongoing provision of practical tools to assist in the understanding and management of logistical constraints and fatigue exposures.
Helping Union Pacific stay on track with crew planning decisions
The attached report provides an example of how InterDynamics utilises its modelling experience to assist clients (in this case a large US rail operator) with customised logistical simulation models to efficiently match physical and human resources in logistically complex environments. The scientific validity of FAID has been integrated to great effect to assist Union Pacific in the management of fatigue when making crew planning decisions.
The UP BoardGame (UPBG) is a stand alone product that facilitates the change management process of introducing predictable work patterns to boards with the aim of reducing fatigue levels and providing Engineers and Conductors with more predictable work times. This is achieved by empowering employees to assess for themselves the effects an introduced pattern of work will have on a board.
Shiftwork Services
Based in New Zealand, Shiftwork Services provides a specialised advisory/training service to organisations whose employees work shifts or extended hours. Services include specialist workshops, fatigue risk management, wellness programmes, training materials, roster design. Call us to discuss your safety and performance issues.
Please browse our website here.
Working Globally
FaidSafe alliance partners are based in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America. Between us we are taking FaidSafe to the global market. We want to make this service available to every organisation that is exposed to fatigue risks. No matter where you are, we would like to hear from you. We want to add value to your business.
About the Custodian of the Brand
InterDynamics have been in the planning, scheduling and risk business since 1992. InterDynamics has been privileged to work with leading operational practitioners, scientists and risk engineers to develop and deliver world class fatigue risk programs and products. FaidSafe is offered as a global benchmark for risk-based integrated fatigue management solutions.
FAID® and FaidSafe® are registered brand names of InterDynamics Pty Ltd.
For more information on InterDynamics, visit the InterDynamics website.
FAID® received a WorkCover SA SAfeWork 2001 Award
Copyright © 2012 InterDynamics, All rights reserved.