RSSB Fatigue Projects
Presentation for Track Safety Alliance Staff Reps Conference
3rd February 2015
© RSSB 3 Feb 2015
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Fatigue
Shift system:- Start time- Shift length- Rotation- Rest period- Recovery time - Breaks
Job factors:- Workload-Working environment
-Task familiarity
Individual:- Age- Body clock - Personality- Fitness-Domestic arrangements
A feeling of extreme tiredness and being unable to perform work effectively
Impaired vigilance, decision-making, concentration, alertness, reaction times, memory, mood & motivation
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Estimated cost to the industry
Approx. £2 million per annum
Safety risk
£?? per annum
Absenteeism & ill health+
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Progress since the ‘80s
• Clapham Inquiry (1988)
• 'Hidden Limits' introduced (1989)
• Southall Inquiry (2000)
• T059 Fatigue and shift work among passenger train drivers
(2004-2006)
• ROGs introduced (2006)
• ORR Managing Fatigue in Safety Critical Workers (2006)
• T699 Fatigue and shift work in freight drivers and track
workers (2007-2010)
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Progress in recent years
• T997 Managing Occupational Road Risk Associated with
Road Vehicle Driver Fatigue (2012)
• T1082 Developing fitness for duty checks and predicting the
risk of experiencing fatigue (being scoped)
• T1083 Preparing rail industry guidance on biomathematical
models (being scoped)
• T1084 Preparing company guidance for fatigue control
options for first night shifts (being scoped)
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Progress in recent years
• T997 Managing Occupational Road Risk Associated with
Road Vehicle Driver Fatigue (2012)
• T1082 Developing fitness for duty checks and predicting the
risk of experiencing fatigue (being scoped)
• T1083 Preparing rail industry guidance on biomathematical
models (being scoped)
• T1084 Preparing company guidance for fatigue control
options for first night shifts (being scoped)
T997 Managing Occupational Road Risk Associated with Road Vehicle Driver Fatigue
T997 Background
• 1,901 fatalities & 23,122 serious injuries on roads in 2011
• Fatigue estimated to be a contributory factor in up to 20% of all RTCs
• 25% - 33% of all serious and fatal road traffic incidents are work- related (DfT). ROSPA put figure at 40%.
• Around 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles.
• Business drivers with high work-related mileage have over 50% more injury accidents than non-business drivers
T997 Scale of the problem in rail
• Estimated 73,000+ drivers in the rail industry accumulating a large but unknown mileage
• 900 RTCs recorded in SMIS (2007-2012) and very few accidents from Network Rail contracts suggests significant under-reporting
• RSSB Road Driving Risk Industry survey revealed 500 RTC events, 100 injuries and 5 fatalities in one year. Fatigue seen as the major risk to drivers
T997 Research deliverables
• RED 35 issued on the topic of ‘fatigue at the wheel’.
• Guide for Road Vehicle Drivers and their Managers
• Guide for Companies
• Summary leaflet for drivers
• Awareness-raising poster
Fitness for duty decisions
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T1082: Fitness for duty decisions
Aim: To investigate which tool(s) could be used to mitigate fatigue risk by informing fitness for duty decisions, select a
promising tool that best meets the requirements and evaluate it.
© RSSB 3 Feb 2015
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T1082: ApproachHow are decisions made at the moment?
What do users want?
What tools exist or could be adapted?
Which appear(s) to be the most promising?
Development & Evaluation
Biomathematical models
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T1083: Biomathematical models
Aim: To create guidance on tools using biomathematical models of fatigue to meet the information needs of the rail
industry in GB.
© RSSB 3 Feb 2015
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T1083: ApproachWhat criteria should be used to assess the tools?
Engage with tool developers
Sensitivity analysis
Produce guidance
First night shifts
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T1084: First night shifts
Aim: To produce guidance for the industry on potential measures that individuals and companies could adopt to mitigate the fatigue-related risk during first night shifts.
© RSSB 3 Feb 2015
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T1084: ApproachHigh level evaluation
Preparation of guidance
Dissemination
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Conclusions
• The rail industry has come a long way in terms of fatigue risk management
• Lot of useful guidance and good practice
• Incremental change to increase effectiveness
• There is strong industry appetite for more
• Exciting opportunities to get involved – we need your help!
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If you would like to learn more…
• www.rssb.co.uk
• www.sparkrail.org
• www.rgsonline.co.uk – (soon to be moved to www.rssb.co.uk)