Focus on Fatigue

In extended and 24-hour operations across the globe, human fatigue is being identified as a key business risk. In these operations, it will never be possible to eliminate fatigue-related risks. The tensions between business demands for flexible hours and productivity, workforce shift preferences and fatigue risks are on-going. Fatigue risks can, however, be successfully managed using processes and tools specifically designed using leading scientific understanding, practical assessments and countermeasures, as well as a tailored approach to improving safety in any industrial operation.

Thankfully, the community of people working with fatigue as a risk is growing; and the lessons learned from hands-on implementation can be shared. This sharing of challenges, solutions, and experience in general is what Focus on Fatigue is all about.

Focus on Fatigue is a resource for you. We will bring you vital information to help you implement fatigue risk management strategies. Each newsletter will contain current research, case histories, and service information to help you manage fatigue risk.

We are often asked how insurance companies view fatigue risk. Insurers like the rest of the world are waking up to the threats of fatigue. A valuable insight into an insurer's view of fatigue risk is available.

Keeping awake and alert is another area of great interest. What really works? The scientific community is constantly refining sleep / wake strategies. Dr Adam Fletcher's 'research corner' reviews a recent study comparing the benefits of coffee versus a nap.

We are excited about the pending release of the next major version of our hours of work, risk assessment software FAID^®. Details of the new features and an evaluation copy are available. Read more about this in the Assessing Hours of Work Risk article below.

If you have questions, topics of interest, your own lessons, details of a fatigue risk management success story, or any other comments about the management of fatigue risk, then we would love to hear from you.

Work safely,

Fiona Johnston
Shiftwork Services

Feature Article:

An Insurer's View of Fatigue Risk

By Peter Johansson - Zurich Risk Engineer

Insurance underwriters are now asking their risk engineers to include risk gradings for fatigue in motor fleet risk assessments and other areas of commercial/industrial insurance. The lower the risk the less you pay.

Companies can significantly reduce their fatigue-related exposures with the help of defensive systems like Faid^®Safe, which aims to reduce organisational risk and associated costs to create a safer environment for employees and the community. The author of this article, Peter Johansson joined Zurich's Risk Engineering team in 1999. Peter has been a lead contributor to the development of the Faid^®Safe program.

Download the full article

What is a better solution for keeping awake on a long drive - a coffee or a nap?

Sourced by Dr Adam Fletcher - Scientific Advisor to Faid^®Safe.

A recent (2006) scientific paper investigated the effects of a 30 minute nap, a strong coffee, and a decaffeinated coffee taken during a break within a 200 kilometre (125 miles) night time drive on an open highway. The French research team, led by Dr Pierre Philip, studied 12 young men with an average age of 21 years to find some surprising results.

Using the number of times the vehicle crossed a painted line on the road as a measure of impairment, the coffee helped 75% of drivers maintain performance at daytime levels, compared to 66% for the nap and 13% for the decaf coffee. It is not surprising that a strong coffee - with 200 milligrams of caffeine - or the 30 minute nap had these positive effects across the group, but what is interesting is that not all individuals were affected in a similar way. Some individuals had a strong benefit from the coffee but not the nap, and others had a strong benefit from the nap but not the coffee.

The study authors concluded that the tactical use of coffee and napping should be promoted, but that the individual differences need to be acknowledged.

Download the full article

Case History - the easyJet Story

Members of the Faid^®Safe Alliance have been working with leading global airlines for several years. The lessons learned are applicable to everyone endeavouring to address fatigue risk in their organisation. To find out how a low cost carrier manages fatigue risk, the full article can be found on the FaidSafe web site.

Download the full article

Assessing Hours of Work Risks

A vital part of your Safety Management System is assessing hours of work risks. The challenge has been to put in place routine hours of work risk monitoring without adding another burden for operations.

The new version of FAID^® (version 2, which will be released in the first half of 2007) is focused on providing routine monitoring of hours of work risks - productivity, workforce shift preferences and fatigue.

For those familiar with version 1, FAID^® 2 features a refined treatment of work periods that do not start or finish "on the hour". It also has more helpful information on the timing and period of higher fatigue conditions within a work period. Additional views of indicative fatigue distributions and tolerances for fatigue are also made available.

Request a FAID^® 2 Introduction

Web-based Safety Management Systems Support

Avinet will release its Air Maestro web-based services at the Avalon Air Show in March 2007. Safety Management System support is a key focus of these services. As part of the Fatigue Risk Management module, FAID^® scores are generated from flight and duty timesheets and are also displayed in on-line rosters.

As part of the release, Avinet have sponsored a 'Fatigue Safety Management Seminar' with Dr Adam Fletcher and Len Pearson as speakers.

For more information on Air Maestro go to the Air Maestro website.

Working Globally

Faid^®Safe alliance partners are based in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America. Between us we are taking Faid^®Safe to the global market. We want to make this service available to every organisation that is exposed to fatigue risks. No matter where you are, we would like to hear from you. We want to add value to your business.

About the Custodian of the Brand

InterDynamics have been in the scheduling and risk business since 1992. InterDynamics has been privileged to work with leading operational practitioners, scientists and risk engineers to develop and deliver world class fatigue risk programs and products. Faid^®Safe is offered as a global benchmark for the fatigue risk management market.

For more information on InterDynamics, visit the InterDynamics website.

FAID^® received a WorkCover SA SAfeWork 2001 Award


	Focus on Fatigue For Managers, Supervisors and Employees Involved in Managing Fatigue Risk
Issue 1 - March 2007	The Faid^®Safe Alliance - professionals focused on fatigue risk protection
In This Issue An Insurer's View of Fatigue Risk Research Article - Coffee or Napping? Case History - the easyJet story Assessing Hours of Work Risks Web-based Safety Systems support Working Globally About Us Products and Services Forums Downloads Resources Evaluation Software Download Fatigue Audit Software Special Offer Sleep and shiftwork books Contact Us InterDynamics Pty Ltd +61 2 9975 6925 www.faidsafe.com Alliance Partners Zurich Risk Engineering Shiftwork Services Integrated Safety Support InterDynamics Humantra Clockwork Research Centre for Sleep Research Avinet	Welcome to Focus on Fatigue, the official Faid^®Safe newsletter In extended and 24-hour operations across the globe, human fatigue is being identified as a key business risk. In these operations, it will never be possible to eliminate fatigue-related risks. The tensions between business demands for flexible hours and productivity, workforce shift preferences and fatigue risks are on-going. Fatigue risks can, however, be successfully managed using processes and tools specifically designed using leading scientific understanding, practical assessments and countermeasures, as well as a tailored approach to improving safety in any industrial operation. Thankfully, the community of people working with fatigue as a risk is growing; and the lessons learned from hands-on implementation can be shared. This sharing of challenges, solutions, and experience in general is what Focus on Fatigue is all about. Focus on Fatigue is a resource for you. We will bring you vital information to help you implement fatigue risk management strategies. Each newsletter will contain current research, case histories, and service information to help you manage fatigue risk. We are often asked how insurance companies view fatigue risk. Insurers like the rest of the world are waking up to the threats of fatigue. A valuable insight into an insurer's view of fatigue risk is available. Keeping awake and alert is another area of great interest. What really works? The scientific community is constantly refining sleep / wake strategies. Dr Adam Fletcher's 'research corner' reviews a recent study comparing the benefits of coffee versus a nap. We are excited about the pending release of the next major version of our hours of work, risk assessment software FAID^®. Details of the new features and an evaluation copy are available. Read more about this in the Assessing Hours of Work Risk article below. If you have questions, topics of interest, your own lessons, details of a fatigue risk management success story, or any other comments about the management of fatigue risk, then we would love to hear from you. Work safely, Fiona Johnston Shiftwork Services Feature Article: An Insurer's View of Fatigue Risk By Peter Johansson - Zurich Risk Engineer Insurance underwriters are now asking their risk engineers to include risk gradings for fatigue in motor fleet risk assessments and other areas of commercial/industrial insurance. The lower the risk the less you pay. Companies can significantly reduce their fatigue-related exposures with the help of defensive systems like Faid^®Safe, which aims to reduce organisational risk and associated costs to create a safer environment for employees and the community. The author of this article, Peter Johansson joined Zurich's Risk Engineering team in 1999. Peter has been a lead contributor to the development of the Faid^®Safe program. Download the full article What is a better solution for keeping awake on a long drive - a coffee or a nap? Sourced by Dr Adam Fletcher - Scientific Advisor to Faid^®Safe. A recent (2006) scientific paper investigated the effects of a 30 minute nap, a strong coffee, and a decaffeinated coffee taken during a break within a 200 kilometre (125 miles) night time drive on an open highway. The French research team, led by Dr Pierre Philip, studied 12 young men with an average age of 21 years to find some surprising results. Using the number of times the vehicle crossed a painted line on the road as a measure of impairment, the coffee helped 75% of drivers maintain performance at daytime levels, compared to 66% for the nap and 13% for the decaf coffee. It is not surprising that a strong coffee - with 200 milligrams of caffeine - or the 30 minute nap had these positive effects across the group, but what is interesting is that not all individuals were affected in a similar way. Some individuals had a strong benefit from the coffee but not the nap, and others had a strong benefit from the nap but not the coffee. The study authors concluded that the tactical use of coffee and napping should be promoted, but that the individual differences need to be acknowledged. Download the full article Case History - the easyJet Story Members of the Faid^®Safe Alliance have been working with leading global airlines for several years. The lessons learned are applicable to everyone endeavouring to address fatigue risk in their organisation. To find out how a low cost carrier manages fatigue risk, the full article can be found on the FaidSafe web site. Download the full article Assessing Hours of Work Risks A vital part of your Safety Management System is assessing hours of work risks. The challenge has been to put in place routine hours of work risk monitoring without adding another burden for operations. The new version of FAID^® (version 2, which will be released in the first half of 2007) is focused on providing routine monitoring of hours of work risks - productivity, workforce shift preferences and fatigue. For those familiar with version 1, FAID^® 2 features a refined treatment of work periods that do not start or finish "on the hour". It also has more helpful information on the timing and period of higher fatigue conditions within a work period. Additional views of indicative fatigue distributions and tolerances for fatigue are also made available. Request a FAID^® 2 Introduction Web-based Safety Management Systems Support Avinet will release its Air Maestro web-based services at the Avalon Air Show in March 2007. Safety Management System support is a key focus of these services. As part of the Fatigue Risk Management module, FAID^® scores are generated from flight and duty timesheets and are also displayed in on-line rosters. As part of the release, Avinet have sponsored a 'Fatigue Safety Management Seminar' with Dr Adam Fletcher and Len Pearson as speakers. For more information on Air Maestro go to the Air Maestro website. Working Globally Faid^®Safe alliance partners are based in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America. Between us we are taking Faid^®Safe to the global market. We want to make this service available to every organisation that is exposed to fatigue risks. No matter where you are, we would like to hear from you. We want to add value to your business. About the Custodian of the Brand InterDynamics have been in the scheduling and risk business since 1992. InterDynamics has been privileged to work with leading operational practitioners, scientists and risk engineers to develop and deliver world class fatigue risk programs and products. Faid^®Safe is offered as a global benchmark for the fatigue risk management market. For more information on InterDynamics, visit the InterDynamics website. FAID^® received a WorkCover SA SAfeWork 2001 Award