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103 The general benchmarking uses the team to make judgements of performance against a
series of graded descriptions (ladders) on 11 factors including:
situational awareness (workload);
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alertness and fatigue (workload);
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training and development (knowledge and skills);
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roles and responsibilities (knowledge and skills);
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■
willingness to initiate major hazard recovery (knowledge and skills);
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management of operating procedures (organisational factors);
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automated plant and/or equipment (added by User Guide).
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Guidance on safe shift work arrangements
104 An overview is given in Note 10 of HSEs
Human Factors Toolkit
.
98
More comprehensive
guidance is given in
Managing shift work
HSG256, and in the oil and gas industry guide
Managing
Fatigue in the Workplace
.
99
105 The introduction to
Managing shift work
HSG256 outlines the aim of the guidance to improve
safety and reduce ill health by:
making employers aware of their duty under law to assess any risks associated with shift
■
■
work;
improving understanding of shift work and its impact on health and safety;
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■
providing advice on risk assessment, design of shift work schedules and the shift work
■
■
environment;
suggesting measures… to reduce the negative impact of shift work;
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■
reducing fatigue, poor performance, errors and accidents by enabling employers to control,
■
■
manage and monitor the risks of shift work.
106 The main principle of the Health and Safety at Work Act is that those who create risk from
work activity are responsible for the protection of workers and the public from any consequences.
Generically, the risk arising from fatigue derives from the probability of sleepiness and the
increased probability of error.
107 Consistent with this and
Successful health and safety management
HSG65, HSG256 details
a systematic approach to assessing and managing the risks associated with shift work under the
following five headings:
Consider the risks of shift work and the benefits of effective management.
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■
For
example, fatigue particularly affects vigilance and monitoring tasks particularly on night shifts.
Establish systems to manage the risks of shift work.
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The need for senior management
commitment is highlighted.
Assess the risks associated with shift work in your workplace.
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■
Take action to reduce these risks.
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■
The guidance includes a number of useful tables giving
non-sector specific examples of factors relating to the design of shift work schedules, the
physical environment and management issues such as supervision.
Check and review your shift-work arrangements regularly.
■
■
Includes suggested
performance measures such as the HSE Fatigue and Risk Index Tool
100
and Epworth
sleepiness scale.
108 HSG256 is a comprehensive and practical guide with appendices covering a summary
of legal requirements and practical advice for shift workers along with a listing of assessment
tools such as the HSE Fatigue and Risk Index Tool. HSG256 should be supplemented by any
sector-specific guidance, eg the Energy Institute’s
Improving alertness through effective fatigue
management
,
101
or the oil and gas industry guide
Managing Fatigue Risks in the Workplace
.
109
Managing fatigue risks in the workplace
is intended primarily as a tool to assist oil and gas
industry supervisors and occupational health practitioners to understand, recognise and manage