If you’re not already managing staff fatigue, you may fall foul of UK regulations, which could lead to facing penalties and heavy fines.

Construction and railway work – which include unusual shift patterns, using heavy machinery and physical strain — make fatigue particularly high-risk and hazardous for employees, and even more important to manage.

 

 

 

What are the risks of staff fatigue?

Fatigue impacts absenteeism, turnover rates and productivity, leading to project delays, increased costs and smaller profits.

Not only that, personnel suffering with fatigue can put themselves at others at risk – causing accidents and even fatalities. And this can result in compliance issues and reputational damage.

 

 

 

What are the regulations about fatigue in construction and rail?

The fatigue regulations include those that apply to all UK employers, along with specific, additional instructions for the construction and rail industries.

 

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Under this act, all UK employers are duty-bound to ensure the health and safety of their employees – which includes managing fatigue and the associated risks. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces this legislation.

 

Working Time Regulations (WTR)

Working Time Regulations specify that the maximum average working week for construction staff should be 48 hours, averaged over a 17-week period. Workers can choose to opt out of this in writing, but you can’t ask them to work excessive hours if it creates a health and safety risk.

Your staff must also have a minimum of 11 consecutive hours’ rest in every 24-hour period, and at least 24 hours’ uninterrupted rest per week, or 48 hours over two weeks. They must also take a rest break for at least 20 minutes for every six hours of work.

 

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)

Under these regulations, fatigue management on ‘notifiable projects’ (usually larger ones) requires a structured and proactive approach as it is considered a critical health and safety hazard.

As such, employers are obliged to identify potential risks, put controls in place and review and monitor the effectiveness of fatigue controls.

 

Network Rail’s fatigue regulations

Network Rail Standard NR/L2/OHS/003 limits working hours to prevent worker fatigue – including maximums of working 12-hour shifts and 72 hours over seven days, and a minimum of 11 hours’ rest between duties.

It also incorporates a Fatigue Risk Index and requires a risk assessment for any working patterns of more than 60 hours per week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to monitor and manage fatigue

So how can you keep track of fatigue amongst your workforce to make sure you’re remaining compliant with regulations – and what can you do to prevent fatigue from occurring in the first place?

 

Monitor fatigue in real time

If possible, keep track of fatigue in real time so you can intervene before it reaches critical and potentially dangerous levels. This might involve using technologies such as wearables and camera-based systems to detect early signs through physiological and behavioural data.

 

Use fatigue risk management systems (FRMS)

These are proactive systems that:

• assess risk levels associated with shift patterns and long hours
• identify factors contributing to fatigue, for example, early starts, night shifts or physically demanding work
• put controls in place, such as fewer consecutive shifts, shorter shifts or more breaks
• train employees and managers to recognise the signs of fatigue

 

Ensure task variation and workload management

Repetitive and monotonous tasks can cause as much fatigue as physically demanding tasks, so varying your employees’ duties can make a big difference – as can ensuring you don’t overload your staff or set unrealistic deadlines.

 

Establish travel time limits

Long journeys accompanied by long days can also lead to fatigue, and construction and rail workers often travel significant distances to reach their sites. As such, it’s recommended that daily ‘door-to-door’ time (commute plus travel time) doesn’t exceed 14 hours.

 

Limit shifts and enable breaks

Always refer to the regulations for your particular industry, and ensure shift patterns don’t conflict with the minimum rest and maximum work limits. This should be embedded into any fatigue risk management system to ensure compliance.

 

Raise awareness

Your workforce might not be aware of the signs of fatigue in themselves and others, or the serious consequences it can have. As such, it’s important to educate your staff using any means you find effective – such as training sessions, toolbox talks, videos, posters and leaflets.

 

Consult with your employees

When designing and reviewing shift patterns, involve your workers in the conversations. Individuals may want to select particularly long or gruelling hours, but it’s your responsibility to explain how this could lead to fatigue and the associated risks.

 

 

 

Conclusion

The regulations surrounding fatigue are there to help employers establish safe working practices that protect their employees, their business and their reputation.

By keeping a close eye on staff fatigue – in particular by using a fatigue risk management system (FRMS) which identifies warning signs, send triggers and enables you to adopt preventative practices – you can manage it effectively and ensure you remain within the law.

 

FATIGUE360 by Weston Analytics

FATIGUE360 is our very own end-to-end fatigue risk management and job planning tool that easily enables planners, schedulers and HR staff to monitor fatigue in the workforce.

Download our free brochure to see how our user-friendly fatigue management software can ensure your company complies with UK regulations.