australian water association 2013: occupational fatigue - time to wake the sleeping elephant
DESCRIPTION
Fatigue-related impairment can lead to human error, and subsequently serious accidents. Large-scale catastrophes such as the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster, the challenger space shuttle disaster, and grounding of the Exxon-Valdez oil tanker all listed fatigue and human error as major contributing factors. Fatigue is implicated in up to 20% of fatal road traffic accidents and also negatively impacts workplace productivity, operating costs, and workforce health. Current published scientific research, and research conducted by TMS Consulting in the resources industry both highlight the extent of operational risks that exist in large and complex organisations. In particular the use of shift work schedules (especially those that use night shifts and afterhour call-outs), and long working hours significantly affect occupational fatigue, with fatigue-related risks focused heavily around safety-critical tasks like vehicle operation, hazardous materials, and working in confined spaces. Unfortunately, talking about fatigue is a taboo issue in many companies; the metaphorical ‘elephant in the corner’. A result of this is that not enough companies manage fatigue using a proactive risk assessment approach, instead relying on prescriptive limits on hours of work and rest breaks. This is problematic given that fatigue is a complex and multi-factorial phenomenon that is primarily a factor of sleep, not working hours or roster schedules. Sleep is a biological neccessity and not a tradeable commodity. An attitude of ‘toughening up’ does not address the fatigue problem. This presentation will outline the impact that unmitigated fatigue and sleep loss can have on occupational health and safety based on scientific literature and extensive operational experience. Fatigue related determinants and risks common in the water industry such as sleep loss, time of day, shift work, driving, sleeping disorders, obesity, smoking, and age will also be highlighted. Most importantly this presentation will address how to identify and effectively manage fatigue and human error in the water industry with the use of a Fatigue Risk Management System.TRANSCRIPT
tmsconsulting.com.auBrisbane Sydney PerthOptimise Your Planning, People & Performance
OCCUPATIONAL FATIGUE: TIME TO WAKE THE SLEEPING ELEPHANT?Presented by Ben Hutchinson, Safety Consultant
Australian Water Association North QLD Regional Conference 2013
13 August, 2013
Focus of the Presentation
+ Overview of fatigue, and how it impacts workplace safety+ How fatigue applies to the water industry + Outline of how safety is influenced by culture+ What your company can do
Exxon Valdez
Space shuttle Challenger
What is the commonality?
Fatigue-related?Bhopal Union gas leak Estonia ferry sinking
Chernobyl nuclear meltdown Three Mile Island nuclear incident
Fatigue and Sleepiness
+ Fatigue is a cumulative and gradual process that results in the form of tiredness, lack of energy, and a feeling of exhaustion
+ Sleepiness is the pressure to, or the probability of falling asleep at any particular time
…this means it is difficult to stay awake
Complexity of Fatigue Dual-responsibility for managing fatigue
Fatigue is the combined influences that:
Sleep homeostasis (pressure to sleep)
Circadian rhythm (time of day alertness)
Workload (time on task, task intensity, task complexity)
have on the basal risk of errors and accidents
Consequences of Fatigue and Sleepiness
Reduced hand-eye
coordination
Poor judgement
and decision making
Lapses in attention
Less effective communication
Microsleeps
Reduced reaction
times
Impaired self-assessment of performance
Fatigue and Sleep Loss Consequences
Sourced from: http://www.miningsafety.co.za/images/ContentImg/res_2011328155349.jpg
• Fatal road transport accidents1+20%
• The risk of vehicle accident (at 2 AM)250x
• Risk of workplace fatal accidents32x
Other Consequences
Sourced from: http://www.miningsafety.co.za/images/ContentImg/res_2011328155349.jpg
• Risk of developing or dying of CHD41.5x
• Risk of developing diabetes52x
• Yearly worldwide cost of fatigue6$80 billion
$3 billion • Yearly Australian cost of fatigue7
Accident Risk of Different Shift Types and Lengths
Higher risk
Lower risk(Retrieved from 8)
0.05% equivalence at 17-20 hours of wake
(Retrieved from 9)
Fatigue Comparison to Alcohol Intoxication
(Retrieved from 10)
Chronic sleep loss: a silent killer?
(Retrieved from 11 pg. 6)
Circadian rhythm of sleepiness
Road crash risk over 24 hours
Link between sleepiness and sleep is not always obvious.
Why does fatigue apply to the water industry?
Reversal: Why wouldn’t it?
Are any of the following questions true for your business:• Does anyone regularly undertake work for long periods, including
overtime?• Does anyone consistently work or travel between midnight and 6am?• Do work practices include on-call work, call-backs and/or sleepovers?• Does the roster differ from the hours actually worked?• Is work performed at low body clock times (between 2 am and 6 am)?
Fatigue is a universal phenomenon
Taboo Topics: Is Fatigue Your Elephant?
Shouldn’t people just ‘harden’ up?
• Sleep is a biological necessity and not a tradeable commodity.
• Sleep is so important that:– “An American Bar Association report, published in 1930,
which was cited in a later U.S. Supreme Court decision, said, ‘It has been known since 1500 at least that deprivation of sleep is the most effective torture and certain to produce any confession desired.”
• Ignorance of fatigue is no excuse.• Hardening up or normalising isn’t shown to normally occur.
Taboo Topics: Is Fatigue Your Elephant?
Can’t fatigue be managed by restricting the hours of work per day?
To a degree – but hours of work are one aspect of fatigue
Fatigue is primarily an issue of Sleep, hours awake and time of day
Fatigue includes other factors: workload, underlying health and medical issues, training and
experience, alcohol, smoking, obesity and more
Enforcing a minimum break period, for example 12 hours between shifts is not enough
Managing Safety
+ One view is ‘Swiss Cheese model’ of accident causation+ This view holds that ‘latent’ and ‘active’ failures are present + Not accepted by all, but can be a useful education tool
(adapted from http://www.accessanesthesiology.com/webFiles/PSM/images/3epid.jpg)
Addressing Fatigue
(Retrieved from 12)
What Can Your Company Do?
For instance:+ Assessment of fatigue critical tasks+ Sleep hygiene training and education+ Effective shift work scheduling+ Cross skill key roles+ Generate pride in results+ Use of positive psychology
Important to link policy to behaviour
(Retrieved from 13 pg. 13)
Fatigue Tools
© 2013 TMS Consulting
Fatigue Policy and Procedure Gap
Analysis
Operational Sleep Evaluations
Cognitive Performance and Fatigue Assessments
Workplace Demographic Assessments
Biomathematical Modelling Software
People: The solution. Not the problem.
Rather than being the main instigators of an accident, operators tend to be
inheritors of system defects created by poor design, incorrect installation, faulty
maintenance and bad management decisions. Their part is usually that of
adding a final garnish to a lethal brew whose ingredients have already been
long in the cooking. (Reason, 1990 pg. 173 14)
+ People create safety+ People are part of the solution, not the
problem
Questions
1. Between call-outs people are required to have 10-hour break, but as an employer you don’t know whether they will obtain sufficient rest when coming back to work. What are some ways to recognise fatigue, particularly via supervisors who have direct contact with workers?
Questions
2. Some workplaces advocate caffeine as a solution for fatigue. Is caffeine a viable solution?
Questions
3. Any indication of new technologies out there, access to media 24/7, use of devices leads to fatigue or reduced sleep, as it seems that younger or modern generation tend to use devices instead of sleeping?
Questions
4. What is your view on rewarding behaviours, such as people taking full rest breaks between shifts etc.?
OPTIMISE YOUR PLANNING, PEOPLE & PERFORMANCEtmsconsulting.com.au
07 3003 [email protected] Mary Street, Brisbane Q 4000
Brisbane Sydney Perth