Fatigue Management

Article on Safety Management System for Managing Fatigue - Maria Karlsson, OHS Editor for CCH

Over recent years the Australian pipeline industry has increasingly acknowledged the crucial issue of Fatigue Management and the flow-on effects that it has on every level of construction projects. More recently, the industry, through the APIA Safety Working Group, has recognised the need for the industry to be proactive in addressing the risks that might result due to fatigue based on the type of work undertaken, length of work day and work cycles, consideration of the physical environment, consideration of fitness for work, etc.

The APIA Safety Working Group, with the support of the APIA Board, has been working with the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC) of the University of Queensland on a Fitness for Work project incorporating an in-depth review and study of Fatigue Management within the industry. The project is designed to determine the current prevalence and magnitude of fatigue management issues that may be affecting our industry and recommend considerations such as policies and procedures that can be applied to effectively manage these risks.

In order to obtain a clear picture of the current Fatigue Management status within the industry, a questionnaire was circulated throughout the industry prior to Christmas 2005. The data received was reviewed by MISHC and a gap analysis report prepared. This report was then discussed in detail at an industry workshop held in February 2006. The workshop was designed to pragmatically tackle and manage the issues raised in the report in order to ultimately deliver a set of acceptable industry recommendations with regard to the management of risks associated with fatigue and issues that need to be addressed in the consideration of hours of work. The attendees at the workshop were representatives from all of the different industry sectors so that a whole of industry approach could be focussed on.

The end result of this study has been the production of the University of Queensland report into Hours of Work and Fatigue Management and this can be accessed by following this link.

The Safety Working Group is continuing to work with MISHC to prepare a set of guidelines on this subject. These will be similar in focus and target to the previously developed APIA Vehicle Safety Guidelines and Hydrotest guidelines (which are also being reviewed).