Fatigue update on WorkSafe Victorias activities

1
Fatigue update on WorkSafe Victorias
activities

• Elizabeth Kilduff
• VTHC HSR Conference

2
Introduction

• WorkSafe Victoria is developing generic guidance
  on fatigue Fatigue Management in the Workplace
• The guide is being developed in conjunction with
  WorkCover New South Wales and Workplace Health
  Safety Queensland

3
Definition

• WHAT IS FATIGUE?
• It is quite normal to feel tired or drowsy after
  prolonged mental or physical effort. Fatigue,
  however, is more than feeling tired or drowsy.
• It is an acute and ongoing state of tiredness
  that leads to mental or physical exhaustion and
  prevents people from functioning normally.
• source Fatigue Management in the Workplace
  (Draft Guide)

4
Risk of injury shift work

• Where work 6 consecutive 10-hour shifts, risk of
  injury increased by 16 for day shifts and 38
  for night shifts
• Risk increased by 46 with five twelve hour night
  shifts

Injury risk associated with 60 hour week compared
with standard 40 hour week
5
Draft guide fatigue management

• mental and physical demands of work
• work scheduling and planning
• working time
• environmental conditions
• individual factors factors outside work

6
Risk control examples

• redesign the job to include a variety of mental
  and physical tasks
• introduce job rotation to limit a build-up of
  mental and physical fatigue
• avoid working arrangements that provide
  incentives to work excessive hours

7
Risk control examples

• provide adequate breaks between shifts to allow
  workers enough time recovery time
• control overtime, shift swapping and on-call
  duties
• use a forward rotation shift system

8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
Implementation

• Undertake six months of awareness raising
  activities
• Train inspectorate in operational approach to
  work-related fatigue

11
Implementation

• Evaluate awareness raising activities
• Finalise implement program enforcement approach
  for fatigue