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Rail staff fatigue – the GB regulator’s perspective on managing the risks

Rail staff fatigue – the GB regulator’s perspective on managing the risks. Jeremy Mawhood Office of Rail Regulation, Manchester. Session content. Why fatigue’s important Some links with culture Recent GB fatigue experience ORR fatigue guidance. Why control staff fatigue?.

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Rail staff fatigue – the GB regulator’s perspective on managing the risks

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  1. Rail staff fatigue – the GB regulator’s perspective on managing the risks Jeremy Mawhood Office of Rail Regulation, Manchester

  2. Session content • Why fatigue’s important • Some links with culture • Recent GB fatigue experience • ORR fatigue guidance

  3. Why control staff fatigue? • Perceived weariness from reduced sleep, extended time awake, disrupted sleeping/waking periods or heavy workload • Factors: • Work related • Individual • environment • Increases risk of errors • Hard to detect (self & others) • May be unaware of lapses, “micro-sleeps” • Serious high profile accidents worldwide e.g. nuclear, chemical, aviation, maritime, rail • Makes dangerous, expensive mistakes more likely!

  4. Links with culture • Management, staff/union interests may conflict • Pay systems long hours, suppresses fatigue reporting • Staff may like fewer, longer shifts for long blocks off work • Pressure to keep working may suppress fatigue reporting • Staff won’t raise fatigue concerns if perceive will be “punished” • Staff personal responsibility to use sleep opportunities • Openness, trust, honesty: a “just” culture • Collaboration – joint management & staff fatigue group?

  5. Recent GB fatigue experience • From prescriptive working hours limits to… • goal-setting law : ensure no-one works if so fatigued they could injure selves or others – company decides how • Inspections & discussions: • Some over-reliant on “hours” limits • Some using mathematical fatigue tools, but again over-reliant • Struggling with links to pay / time-off, industrial relations, culture • Fatigue from travel to / at / from work neglected • More guidance on expectations please

  6. ORR guidance “Managing Rail Staff Fatigue” • on ORR website Jan 2012 • Not “compulsory”, can take other effective action, but • Regulator may reference as good practice guidance • Proportionate approach to fatigue - controls in proportion to risk

  7. Proportionate “three-tier” approach

  8. “Triangulating” fatigue?

  9. Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) • FRMS concept e.g. civil aviation • Identifies & draws together dispersed fatigue controls • Science & hard info rather than custom & practice • Tailored to own operation • Integrated with wider risk controls • Continuous, adaptive process, continually monitoring & managing fatigue risks, WHATEVER their causes • Many descriptions of FRMS contents, but many common features so… • ORR guidance summarises key FRMS features for GB rail companies

  10. “POPMAR” risk management cycle? • Health & Safety ExecutiveSuccessful Health & SafetyManagement : “POPMAR” cycle  • P olicy • O rganise • P lan & implement • M easure • A udit & • R eview

  11. An FRMS Checklist?

  12. Fatigue - some key points in POPMAR approach… • Policy: • Leadership, commitment? • Collaboration, culture? • Resources / workload / fatigue / stress links? • Organising: • Joint management / staff / union fatigue group? • Employment Terms & Conditions, pay systems fatigue-friendly? • Travel time to / at / from work controlled? • Planning & implementing: • Triangulate from good practice guidelines, fatigue tool, feedback from reality? • Fitness-for-duty arrangements consider fatigue through to end of shift?

  13. …key points continued… • Measuring: • Deviations from planned patterns monitored? • Staff experiences sought e.g. fatigue surveys, rating scales? • More progressive e.g. • On Train Data Recorder (black-box)? • Sleep logbooks? • Actigraphs (sleep wristbands)? • Auditing & Reviewing: • Are Key Performance Indicators for fatigue established & tracked? • Overall FRMS effectiveness reviewed? • General: • Fatigue controls proportionate, integrated into wider systems? • An FRMS “signposting”document?

  14. Conclusions • Fatigue contributes to dangerous, costly incidents • No single, simple solution, so… • Multi-layered defences : a collaborative Fatigue Risk Management System • ORR guidance : key FRMS features, checklist helps compile “signposting” document  skeleton FRMS • Thank you

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