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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Southern Highlands, NSW
    Posts
    2

    Fatigue Management

    Morning all,

    Not sure if this is the right thread to be posting to, but I was wondering if anyone has advice righting a Fatigue Management Plan/Policy.

    I have only recently started at a new job and I am trying to get all of the Safety Policy up and running correctly and I am having trouble with this subject.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    My suggestion is to make Google your friend. If you do a search on Fatigue Management Policy, plan, procedure etc you will get an enormous amount of hits. Grab one of the templates and see how it works for you. The state safety regulators also have guideline materials as well on their websites and usually include links to other source information.

    Hope this helps

  3. #3
    In Europe, where I have worked for a number of years, there is an a comprehensive ergonomic std required as part of Safety at Work directives. As examples, vehicle operators are not allowed to be exposed to heavy vibrations while driving... this necessitated that I order specialized suspension seating from National Seating (US) to retrofit in a fleet of 2.5 ton GMC/Chevy and Ford stake trucks to meet the std for use on the bumpy roads of Sicily. (I've had to retrofit diesel/CNG powered American Hyster fork trucks with EU-approved seating from Hyster UK made by Germany's MG Seating Co. too.) Cashiers are not allowed to either stand-up or remain seated for an entire workshift... a seat is provided and enough room so that a cashier can change positions frequently from seated to standing. Anti-fatigue mats are required in all work spaces where frequently standing employees work in single space to reduce foot fatigue; (there are more complex small bones in the foot than anywhere else). Lighting also falls under ergonomics and the Bible for measuring, designing lighting/upgrading, and the lighting stds are included in two books by the Illumination Engineering Society of North America (IES); i.e., the Illumination Handbook and Application Guide. Light meters are inexpensive, the Photoresearch Lite Mate III has been the industry std. Typical Lux at a desk surface where pencil is meant to be read or used is 500 Lux and can be supplied by supplemental illumination (desk lamp); General Room illumination is 300 Lux and Emergency Lighting 50 Lux. Lighting measurements are done according to the extremely repeatable IES Method (mathematical weighting - based on precise measurement locations) and needs to be done in the absence of all natural sources. Poor lighting will not cause damage to the ocular organ (the eyes), but will cause headaches from eye strain, decrease efficiency, and perhaps cause a safety mishap from workers not being able to see properly. In Europe, there is a requirement to provide natural light access into a work area with the exception of underground mines and other Confined Spaces, X-ray rooms, and storage locations used infrequently. (Don't ask me why, in Germany, I had to raise a handful of large multistory bldgs by over a meter with hydraulic jacks, so the former office space below ground could continue to be used with glass windows installed on the tops of walls to allow sun (sic) light to come in! I also have had some polycarbonate sheet panels installed on corrugated aluminum-sided warehouses for the same reason!) US DoE's Ergoeaser (free) software will help you fit office employees properly with their desks. In the EU, the directives are a bit stricter than they are in the US. Under-desktop keyboard trays and footrests are NOT allowed and neither is the repeated side motion of a mouse when filling in a spreadsheets routinely. Desktops are height adjustable, seats have at least 6-way adjustment (independent for each armrest height), and PC monitors large enough to fit the entire spreadsheet's horizontal data field on the screen with 12 font. (This is done so only the scrolling wheel is used to change sheets when making data entries.) Remember, desktops were originally designed for persons of between 5'8" to 6' in height so typically vertically challenged people; like me and predominantly females, have a hard time getting fitted properly with a std desktop. (Under keyboard trays aren't allowed because the ergonomics std requires an optimum of 50 cm (20") for the monitor viewing distance, and the keyboard tray pushes the viewing distance back causing eye strain to be able to see properly at 12 font. Taller workers often complain of having to stretch their legs out to avoid hitting their thighs under a desktop. This leads to lower back pain as knees are supposed be bent at 90 degrees to the floor (right angle) when seated and fitted properly. The arms and elbows should sit comfortably on the desktop without either raising or lowering them. (High heels are a no-no in the workplace... run mock fire alarm and with the regular lights off and see how many people have difficulty getting out within 5 minutes! Remember, no elevators.)

  4. #4

    This is a great topic, I wish it where more widely discussed in forums like this.

    Safe Work Australia (www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au) has great information and guides.

    Theres also a Guide for MANAGING RISK OF FATIGUE AT WORK

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