Fatigue and its relationship to roster cycle length
Helen Wood, Managing Director TMS Consulting
Abstract
Roster design and work schedules, if poorly designed or managed ineffectively, are associated with a variety of psychosocial and physiological problems that can affect the health and well-being of workers. As recognised by the Australian Pipeline Industry Association, the impact of fatigue in the Pipeline industry is gaining increasing prominence in terms of its effects and management strategies. This paper focuses on a review of the research literature pertaining to fatigue and the impact of sleep on fatigue, and the relationship with roster cycle length. Recommendations are provided for fatigue and sleep management strategies.
Based on the research reviewed, there is limited evidence to suggest that a longer cycle is less safe or results in higher levels of fatigue, rather pre-existing fatigue and adequate sleep must be managed effectively. These results provide support for active fatigue management to have the ability to reduce the risk of accidents and incidents that are assumed with longer roster cycles. Further, it is recognised that there is very limited research available focused specifically on the impact of roster cycle length on worker fatigue in the Pipeline industry.
TMS Consulting has been engaged by APIA to conduct a Fatigue Management Study (FMS) to identify the impact of fatigue in the Pipeline industry, in particular its relationship to roster cycle length, and to test strategies around managing fatigue. Results from this study will provide valuable intelligence for the Pipeline industry, and inform improvements in fatigue management.
Introduction
Roster design and work schedules, if poorly designed or managed ineffectively, are associated with a variety of psychosocial and physiological problems that can affect the health and well-being of workers. In the Pipeline industry, fatigue is one variable which is becoming increasingly prominent in terms of management strategies and its relationship to roster cycle length.
This paper will focus on a review of the research literature pertaining to fatigue, including typical signs and symptoms of fatigue, causes and consequences of fatigue, the impact of sleep on fatigue, and best practice methods of measuring fatigue. Research relating to workplace fatigue and sleep will be explored, in addition to recommendations for fatigue and sleep management strategies.
Roster Cycle Length
Organisations within the Pipeline and comparable industries have demonstrated a level of disparity in the design of roster schedules with no evidence of universal agreement regarding „best practice‟ for roster design.
A variety of roster schedules are used both nationally and internationally in the Pipeline and comparable industries. A recent Work Cycle Study conducted by TMS Consulting (2010) involved interviews with a number of Pipeline industry representatives and, in addition to a review of the literature, found evidence of a broad range of roster cycle lengths worked in both the Pipeline and comparable industries (i.e. mining and petroleum).
The Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA), in conjunction with the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC), conducted a survey in 2006 which looked at different roster arrangements used within the Pipeline industry.9 The survey was completed by members of APIA and then discussed at a Fatigue Management workshop in Brisbane in April 2006. Findings from the survey and workshop included:
Work in the Australian Pipeline industry may involve working in remote areas in difficult climates for shifts up to 12 hours over an extended roster pattern.7 The number of reported consecutive shifts worked by the labour workforce varied from three to 28 and up to 35 for some contractors. 9 The shift length varied from eight to 12 hours with the number of breaks within shifts ranging from one to four and of 20 minutes to one hour duration. 9 Travel times varied from five minutes to two hours. 9 Outcomes from the workshop discussion indicated that hours of work and roster patterns were not identified as the most significant issues contributing to fatigue. This may be due to the fact that most Pipeline operations work daylight hours and so avoid some of the major fatigue issues associated with night shift.6
Fatigue
The term „fatigue‟ is a general term used to describe the feeling of being tired, drained or exhausted.10 Fatigue is a physical condition that can result from physical exertion, mental exertion, or inadequate or disturbed sleep.1, 30 A certain level of fatigue is a natural response to the mental and physical effort of everything we do, and adequate sleep is essential for restoring the balance and promoting recovery.14
Signs and symptoms of fatigue can typically be grouped into three categories: physical, mental and emotional. These include: 7, 17, 18, 21, 30, Physical: Yawning, heavy eyelids, eye-rubbing, sore and/or bloodshot eyes, sluggish appearance, blurred vision, head dropping, micro sleeps, not feeling refreshed after sleep, reduced performance, slower reaction time, impaired hand-eye coordination, and headaches. Mental: Difficulty concentrating on a task, lapses in attention, difficulty remembering what you are doing, failure to communicate important information, failure to anticipate events or actions, risk taking behaviour, disorganisation, lack of situational awareness, accidentally doing the wrong thing (error), and accidentally not doing the planned thing (omission). Emotional: More quiet than usual, withdrawn, increased stress levels, reduced motivation, lacking energy, anxiety, irritability, decreased tolerance, depression, mood disturbances, emotional outburst, aggression, and rage.
The literature has identified many factors that have the potential to increase the risk of fatigue. These factors are categorised as Work-Related or Non-Work Related and include, but are not limited to those outline in Figure 1.
In terms of determining fatigue levels, it is not possible to directly measure fatigue, however three methods have generally been used when carrying out fatigue research:11, 30, 36 Devices capable of detecting performance impairment prior to or during a work shift, or monitoring real-time performance in the workplace. For example: o Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) o Reaction Time/Macworth Clock testing device o The Occupational Safety Performance Assessment Test (OSPAT) o The FIT2000 system o The PERCLOS system o Stimulus-response tasks o Head nodding Predictive models that calculate the amount of sleep opportunity and extrapolate from that the likelihood of fatigue and recovery. For example: o Fatigue Audit InterDyne (FAID) o Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST) Self-report measures of fatigue
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