Welcome to Focus on Fatigue, the official Faid^®Safe newsletter

The Price of a Good Sleep

Poor quality sleep is caused by a number of factors, but a commonly discussed one is the comfort of the bed. This led me to do a brief review of the best and most comfortable beds and of research about which beds are best for sleep. It soon became evident that there are no conclusive studies about which type of bed is better for the most productive sleep; it simply has to do with individual preference.

I did, however, discover that sleeping on the Swedish-designed Vividus bed has been described as "sleeping on a cloud". All that sounds pretty appealing until you see the price tag of $60,000.

While few $60,000 beds were sold last year, there has, however been a significant rise in sales in the wholesale mattress industry this decade.

Sleep problems are one of the most common complaints among shiftwork and extended hours employees. My question is: will companies be buying each of their staff a luxury bed in the interest of more sleep and greater productivity?

In truth a luxury bed will probably not make much of a difference in improving employee sleep and performance because having a comfortable mattress is just one of many factors that influence the quality of shiftworker's sleep. It would be smarter (and cheaper) to invest in an education programme for shiftworkers on strategies they can use to improve their sleep - whether it be during the nighttime or daytime. This would ideally include information about setting up the ideal sleep environment, information about food and fluids for optimum sleep and the impact of drugs and alcohol on sleep. In addition, screening for sleeping disorders such as apnoea is recommended.

Work safely,

Fiona Johnston
Shiftwork Services

Australian Transport Safety Bureau Reports Featuring Applications of FAID^® Software

If you have wondered how to assess the role of fatigue, read about this accident as an excellent example of how FAID® was used to assess the hours of work in a shipping accident.

Read the full article

Driver Fatigue and Fuel Usage

Is there a lesson for the trucking industry?

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Queensland to Introduce New Doctor Fatigue Measures

Medical groups have welcomed a plan to reduce doctor fatigue in Queensland’s medical hospitals but say that doctors will continue to be overworked.

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Coroner Blames Pilot Fatigue for the Deaths of Two Men Killed When a Topdressing Plane Crashed in 2003

In his inquest findings Coroner Wallace Brain questioned both the work practices of the employer, Wanganui Aero Work Ltd, and the responsibilities of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Read the full article

Limitations on Hours of Work and Fatigue Risk Management Systems

By Dr Alex Holmes

Fatigue is becoming increasingly recognised as a significant risk in the oil and gas industries and other safety-critical industries such as aviation. Fatigue risk has traditionally been managed using prescribed limitations to hours of work such as the EU Working Time Directive or self-imposed company limits, for example, Shell and BP's limits on driving hours.

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What Can Go Wrong When You and Your Internal Timekeeper Get Out of Sync?

By Dr Jonica Newby

Inside every one of us is a cellular timekeeper ticking a way. It gives us the cues for all manner of changes in our bodies - blood pressure - mood - even the firmness of our handshake. What at happens when the body clock comes unsprung?

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Alliance Partner news

InterDynamics

In July, InterDynamics was a Collaborative Partner with a Fatigue-Risk Management Forum, Melbourne.

This event represents the growing need for practical solutions and it was a unique opportunity to learn about the latest technological and managerial development, policies and regulations on Fatigue Management.

Sharing the experience of others is a fast way to learn and, with permission from the organisers, most of the papers are at www.faidsafe.com/news We trust you will find value here in the insights provided by this timely gathering of experts.

Shiftwork Services

We are currently working with Graeme Martin of Super Air to address the issues of fatigue for topdressing pilots. One error and they don’t get a second chance. Mr Martin is leading the industry in fatigue risk management (FRMS). He has been assessing actual hours of work for some of his pilots using FAID^® software. This is highly relevant in light of the recent press release in which a coroner has blamed pilot fatigue for the deaths of two men killed when a topdressing plane crashed in 2003 (see article above).

Clockwork News

In June, Dr Alex Holmes of Clockwork Research and Captain Simon Stewart of easyJet presented a paper at The Aviation Fatigue Management Symposium held by the Federal Aviation Authority in Vienna, Virginia. The paper, entitled ‘The easyJet fatigue risk management system (FRMS)’, examines the benefits of fatigue risk management and describes the FRMS currently in use by Clockwork Research clients, easyJet. Clockwork Research are currently finalising a draft report as part of a project on FRMS for the UK Department for Transport (DfT). The draft report is a literature review of FRMS. A second report, detailing the results of surveys and interviews on FRMS conducted with relevant regulators, researchers and operators worldwide, is in progress. In September, Dr Paul Jackson and Dr Carina Fourie of Clockwork will present the draft recommendations from the literature review and from the interview report to an industry steering group for their feedback.

To assess fatigue risk in your organisation please contact one of the Faid^®Safe Alliance partners listed in the side bar.

Questions and Answers

Q. What is “sleep inertia”, and how can I minimise the risk associated with it?

A. Whether we wake up naturally or are woken up from a sleep or a nap, we usually experience a period of confusion and/or grogginess that is known as sleep inertia. Sleep inertia is also associated with performance impairment, which can be dangerous if the sleep or nap is happening just before we are about to drive or get back to work (as could be the case if we were taking a break on a long drive or during a work shift). Sleep inertia is longer if: 1) we are woken up, as opposed to waking up naturally, 2) if the time of day of the sleep or nap is at a time that we would normally choose to be asleep (such as between 10pm and 6am), and 3) if we have not had enough sleep over the last day or so and are sleeping deeply and/or are otherwise woken from a deep stage of sleep.

If we are going back to driving or work, the minimum amount of time that we should take to wake up before undertaking any activity is 10 minutes. If we use the alarm of our mobile phone as an alarm clock it is usually the case that the ‘snooze’ function on the alarm is set at 9 or 10 minutes (or can be set to be that). If time is not so critical, then taking 15 to 20 minutes to wake up is preferable to taking 10 minutes, as the longer period will allow for more of the impairment to be overcome and make your activities less exposed to fatigue-related risks.

If a nap is being used as a tactic to improve performance later in the drive or work shift, and you usually also use coffee or some other caffeinated drink to help yourself stay wake, then recent research also suggests that there can be added benefit of having a coffee before having a nap of up to 30 minutes. The results show that the caffeine absorbs and starts having an impact only at the end of the nap and does not get in the way of getting to sleep, and also can improve alertness in addition to the nap.

Q. I have entered a few shifts into FAID's Input Work Schedule and run the Analysis, but there are no Outputs displayed?

A.You need to check the Input's Work Schedule to make sure it contains work periods after Analysis Start Date. FAID automatically adjusts the Analysis Start Date when work periods are entered, to ensure that the Analysis Start Date begins seven days after the earliest work period in the Work Schedule. For FAID to calculate the work-related fatigue; one of the specific determinants is the work history in the preceding seven days.

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 risk-based integrated fatigue managment solutions.

FAID^® and Faid^®Safe are registered brand names of InterDynamics^® Pty Ltd.

For more information on InterDynamics, visit the InterDynamics website.

FAID^® received a WorkCover SA SAfeWork 2001 Award