Improving the knowledge base for systematic management of fatigue and reduced vigilance in transport operators

We have looked at the ways fatigue is defined, studied thought about, and published an article proposing a new definition of fatigue. We have reviewed what has been published on fatigue in transport, in other countries and in Norway. We found that little has been published in Norway, so we talked with 21 operators, managers, subject matter experts and authorities in the road, rail and sea sectors about the causes, levels and effects of fatigue in transport operators. In Norwegian transport there is a focus on sleepiness as the main tiredness-related challenge for operators, not least because of the regulatory emphasis on hours of work and rest. Causes of fatigue that are unique to Norway include light levels in the winter, demanding driving conditions (road and rail) and high level of routine in ferry transport. Experts emphasise the influence of framework conditions on fatigue in the road sector, and on widely varying causes on fatigue in the maritime sector. They also emphasise different fatigue-related challenges for local versus long-distance road transport and the importance of social activities at and outside work on fatigue at work for all sectors. Experts identify operators on fishing vessels, taxi drivers and foreign drivers on the roads as high risk groups. There may be a certain extent of informal fatigue management on the railways, but increasing competition in cargo transport is a challenge. Following the interviews, we conducted a large scale survey of over 1700 operators in the road, rail and maritime sectors. The result was a profile of the risk factors associated with fatigue while operating. The findings included that 29 per cent of all operators report to have slept or nodded off at least once while operating in a 3 month period, and these reports correlate well with sleepiness levels reported for a one-off work period. As part of the project's focus on fatigue risks in the maritime sector, Juned Akhtar gained a doctorate from NTNU. Together with his supervisor Ingrid Bouwer Utne, Juned found that stakeholders perceive that the costs of the measures to reduce human fatigue at sea surpass the benefits. They also found that a fatigued operator raises the relative probability of a grounding by 26 per cent. In other studies, the project has conducted and evaluated a Fatigue Management Program in a large Norwegian firm employing a fleet of sales drivers who drive long distances in the course of their work. Information about fatigue symptoms and ways to tackle fatigue were sent out in a series of newsletters and company meetings, and we loaned participants a "wearable" sleep and activity tracker to help them monitor and improve their sleep. The Program had only limited effects, but there were some signs of improvements in fatigue-related behaviour. Findings from surveys carried out before the intervention are also reported in a masters thesis by Almaz Asfaha at the Institute of Psychology, UiO. The project has also prepared an article for publication that transport organisations can use to select the most appropriate measures to tackle fatigue among their employees. Important measures include scheduling risk management software, portable devices that measure fitness for duty, and health screening for sleep disorders. Findings of the Fatigue in Transport project are or will be described in eight articles; five institute reports; a doctoral thesis, a masters thesis and presentations at international conferences.

Operator fatigue and reduced vigilance are direct threats to both safety and security across transport sectors and forms. Current societal trends strongly indicate that fatigue and reduced vigilance among transport operators and security staff will be cha llenges for Norway in the future. The project will explore the potential of systematic Fatigue Management Programmes (FMPs) to monitor and prevent fatigue-related risk. Thus, the project is expected to leave authorities relevant to each sector better equi pped to face and identify future challenges, and allow for improved management of operator fatigue and vigilance across transport sectors, on both regulatory, managerial, technological and individual level. The project is organised in 5 work packages (WP s): WP1 consists of assembling knowledge on fatigue, reduced vigilance and monotony as a problem in Norwegian operations. This will be done by literature review and by interviews with representative safety experts with knowledge of transport forms in the road, rail, sea and air sectors. An attempt will be made to quantify key findings by surveying operators. WP2 will provide in-depth knowledge on the prevalence, causes and safety outcomes of fatigue and reduced vigilance in Norwegian shipping. This workp ackage consists of two parts: a) a large scale survey to chart in-depth the occurrence and outcome of and reasons for fatigue, sleep, reduced vigilance and complacency among seafarers; and b) a PhD project about developing a Bayesian network model, which will subsequently be used to analyse data from a number of fatigue-related incidents at sea. WP3 is implementation and evaluation of an FMP for car drivers in a major firm. WP4 is development of a tool to guide managers on how to select measures for and implement an FMP according to the particular contingencies of their organisations. In WP5 the findings will be summarised and implication for fatigue countermeasures in Norwegian transport will be highlighted