Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996) Regulations Guideline for a Mandatory Code of Practice Risk-based Fatigue Management at Mines Part C: Format and Content of the Mandatory Code of Practice 8. Aspects to be addressed in the Code of Practice 8.2 Development of a fatigue management plan

 

In general, the goal of a fatigue management plan is to maintain and, where possible, enhance safety, performance and productivity in operational settings, and manage the risk of fatigue in the workplace.

 

The recommended process of developing and maintaining a successful fatigue management plan consists of the following interrelated elements:

 

Figure 1:

 

The fatigue management plan development process as a flow chart diagram

 

 

8.2.1        Management commitment and Stakeholder Buy-In

 

In order for a Fatigue Management Programme (FMP) to be effective, senior management must provide visible support, endorsement and allocate sufficient resources to establish, sustain, monitor and optimise the FMP.

 

8.2.1.1        Assign responsibility for the development of the FMP

 

Management should form a specific committee or assign responsibility to an existing high level Health and Safety Committee to establish and oversee the implementation the FMP. This should be a truly representative cross section of the mine's stakeholders; managers and union representatives (preferably health and safety representatives). Responsibilities, authority and accountability for managing fatigue within the FMP need to be defined. These roles and responsibilities include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given the complexities involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and review of a FMP and the various different disciplines and department's involved close co-ordination and effective management are essential. The mine should establish a Fatigue Management Committee (FMC) at the mine to discuss and address the identified circumstances leading to fatigue and the control measures necessary. Action plans should be monitored at committee meetings.

 

The FMC should elect its own chairperson and scribe.

 

 

The FMC should develop the policy which should include:

 

 

In order for the mines to manage the risks of fatigue effectively and efficiently the following steps should be followed:

 

(Refer to Annexure A - C)

 

 

 

The first step when managing fatigue is to identify, and develop a list of all the factors that have the potential to contribute to fatigue within the workplace. Factors to consider are work time arrangements, type of work performed, work environment and non-work-related factors.

 

There are many ways of identifying workplace factors that contribute to fatigue. They include:

 

 

 

 

Managing fatigue involves assessing the risks associated with the workplace factors that contribute to fatigue. For each of the risks:

• Determine the likelihood of an incident occurring at the workplace, bearing in mind the existing control measures;

• Determine the consequences of an incident occurring at the workplace, bearing in mind the existing control measures; and

• Combine the estimates of the likelihood and consequences to rate the risk.

 

Site-specific information and evidence of fatigue-related incidents could be used to assist in the risk assessment process. In this context review:

• Incident reports;

• Self-reports and complaints from employees;

• Reports from supervisors about any evidence of fatigue;

• Aggregate data from any EAP (ensure that confidentiality is maintained when using such data); and

• Environmental and medical monitoring and other advice from those with technical expertise in the relevant disciplines.

 

From this information, determine the risk factors that need to be controlled and prioritise actions.

 

 

Implement risk control measures

 

Control mechanisms should be put in place to manage the factors (identified through the risk assessment process) contributing to fatigue and to reduce the risks from employee fatigue.

 

The controls should address the sources of fatigue in the workplace and take into account the factors identified in the personal environment.

 

Control measures should be introduced using the hierarchy of controls. According to the hierarchy of controls, the ideal solution when managing fatigue is to completely eliminate factors that contribute to fatigue.

 

This may involve, for example, the elimination of night shifts and extended working hours. If possible, there are a number of control options that may be used alone, or in combination, to minimise and control exposure to fatigue:

 

These could include:

 

FATIGUE RISK MANAGEMENT TOOL

 

 

For ease of reference it is recommended that the fatigue risk management charts be used to list the identified hazards, the qualitative risk assessment and the interventions that have been put in place to mitigate the risk of fatigue.

 

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

 

The fatigue management plan should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that all relevant hazards are included and to assess the effectiveness of the controls. Some of the specific factors to consider as part of the monitoring and evaluation include:

 

8.2.4.5        STEP 5: Documentation

 

Documenting fatigue management plan

 

The fourth step in the fatigue management process is to develop and document a plan detailing how control measures will be implemented. The fatigue management plan should be integrated as part of an overall occupational health and safety programme. The plan should be:

 

It should include:

 

8.2.5        Communicating the policy and fatigue management plan

 

Careful, but vigorous, communication is critical when 'rolling out' the fatigue management plan. Once the policy and the FMP framework have been adopted, they must be communicated to the entire workforce of the organisation. The communication framework should also provide and encourage opportunities for family members to be included in the information exchange.

 

Overall, the FMP will benefit from open lines of communication between all stakeholders, including employees, line supervisors, middle managers and senior management.

 

Providing information to families of employees can stimulate or reinforce the employees' willingness to focus attention on the important issue of fatigue.

 

 

An appropriate information, education and awareness programme should be put in place to create awareness and educate all employees and their families on the impact of fatigue in the workplace, their role in managing the risks, and the controls in the workplace.

 

The programme should provide information and education on:

 

 

The FMP should be subject to periodic assessments (minimum at least every two years) to ensure that it remains appropriate and effective, and can address existing and emerging or changed fatigue risks. Targets should be set for key parameters of the FMP. The review should cover the testing and auditing of all aspects of the FMP, in order to determine if controls are meeting business and safety goals.

 

The review should strike an appropriate balance between 'leading indicators' and outcome measures. The following are examples of the former:

 

Obviously, attention should also be paid to outcomes and these will involve the usual measures such as: