Around 12 months ago road safety in Australia took the bold step of revising working hours regulations for long distance road transport. The step was bold because apart from some small changes, these regulations predated the Second World War and because the new regulations took a novel, alternative compliance approach, focusing on fatigue management rather than regulating hours. This new approach involves three tiers of regulation differing in the extent of specification of rules: Standard option specifies rules for work and rest, Basic Fatigue Management option involves more flexibility around specified rules and in Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) option operators specify their own working hours in the context of their safety management system. To be permitted to adopt the AFM option, operators/companies must be National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation System accredited and comply with ten AFM standards on scheduling, rostering, operating limits, readiness for duty, health, management practices, workplace conditions, fatigue knowledge and awareness, responsibilities, records and documentation and internal review and some specified outer operational limits. The work-rest schedules at the heart of the AFM option must be reviewed by an accredited Fatigue Expert and accredited on a case-by-case basis by a Fatigue Authorities Panel established by the regulator in each state. The objective of this paper is to review the issues inherent in the AFM approach and the evidence for operating limits that will ensure fatigue and safety are managed. The paper will also discuss examples of solutions to common operational needs that would be suitable for AFM. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E218699.
Abstract