1.
2.
3.
Moderate Risk
> Reduce working hours
> Increase resourcing
> Eliminate the use of extended hours for parcular jobs or acvies
> Control the length of shis
> Limit the use of overme, especially unscheduled overme
> Monitor hours of work
> Provide alternave transport at end of overme/long shi
> Maintain vigilance in idenfying non-work related factors
> Subsidise modicaons to private homes to improve sleeping condions (eg air condioning)
> Provide informaon and educaon about how non-work related factors can increase the risks of fague
> Provide a mechanism to encourage employees/workers to report non-work factors that might aect fague management
> Start work at long distance commute sites on the day aer arrival and start travel home on the day aer the shi
cycle is nished
> Assist with travel arrangements, eg provide transport
> Reduce acve working me to account for long commung me or distance
1. Sleep (amount and quality)
2. Health
3. Fitness for work
4. Lifestyle factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
> Eliminate or limit night work where possible
> Eliminate the use of nightshis for parcular jobs
or acvies
> Schedule complex tasks for dayme
> Schedule work for hours when the risks may be lower –
for example, complex and safety-crical tasks are best
undertaken during normal day shis when employees/
workers are less likely to be fagued, rather than during low
body clock periods (ie don’t schedule tasks between 2am
and 6am and, to a lesser degree, between 2pm and 4pm)
> Avoid scheduling higher risk tasks on the rst night of a
night shi cycle. If unavoidable, when planning the
task consider addional controls such as job rotaon or
addional rest breaks
> Minimise or redesign roune administrave tasks to ensure
employees/workers can focus on core dues during their
night work
> Allow for naps during night shis
> Limit the number of consecuve night shis worked – no
more than four night shis in a row
> Allow regular night employees/workers periods of normal
nights’ sleep to catch up on their sleep decit
> Ensure that rosters allow for at least two full nights’ sleep
aer the last night shi
> Arrange shis so that day sleep is adequate
> Use a forward-rotaon shi system (ie morning to
aernoon, aernoon to night)
> Improve the order, speed, direcon and length of rotaon
of the shi cycle
> Except for emergencies, give at least 24 hours noce
before night work. Consider providing a longer period of
noce so that employees/workers have me to adjust
their acvies
> Develop a working-hours policy on daily work hours,
maximum average weekly hours, total hours over a three-
month period and work-related travel
> Reduce working hours
> Reduce the number of consecuve day shis that can be
worked
> Eliminate or reduce the need to work long shis for more
than four consecuve days
> Allocate shi employees/workersconsecuvedayso,including
some weekends, depending upon their fague risk level
> Avoid working arrangements that provide incenves to
work excessive hours
> Control overme, shi swapping and on-call dues
> Oer alternaves to employees/workers who may have
dicules adjusng to working hours
> Limit use of standby and on-call dues
> Ensure that exchange of shis does not result in excessive
hours
> Ensure that responding to emergencies does not result in
excessive hours
> Increase the length of breaks between shis
> Allow for recovery between work periods
> Defer non-urgent work to allow appropriate rest and
recuperaon for employees/workers
> Provide rest days; (opportunity for two consecuve night
sleeps)
> Improve the ming of shis
> Allow forfamilyandsocialcommitmentsbetweenshisand
shi cycles
> Make sure that there is enough me in a break for six
hours uninterrupted sleep
> Provide more and/or longer breaks to allow for recovery
within work periods
> Provide adequate resources to cover breaks
> Ensure adequate number and locaon of crib and toilet
facilies
> Reduce the use of split shis
> Where split shis are used, arrange ming so sleep of
employees/workers is not disrupted due to the mes they
are required to work
> Don’t start or nish between 10pm and 6 am
> Ensure me for adequate communicaon at shi
handovers
> Match shi mes to the availability of public transport
> Set shi rosters ahead of me and avoid sudden changes
of shis to allow employees/workers to plan leisure me
> Reduce irregular and unpredictable work schedules
> Re-design jobs to eliminate boring, repeve tasks
> Improve communicaon
> Provide training to allow mul-skilling and eecve job
rotaon
> Use alarms and monitors, parcularly for solo work (eg
driving vehicles)
> Use plant, machinery and equipment to eliminate or
reduce the excessive physical demands of the job
> Reduce the amount of me employees/workers need
to spend performing sustained physically and mentally
demanding work
> Ensure there are adequate employees/workers and
other resources to do the job without placing excessive
demands on sta
> Roster enough employees/workers during peak mes and
demands
> Ensure adequate breaks during shis to allow recovery
> Allow supervisors and employees/workers to reschedule
tasks if fague becomes a problem
> Ensure work demands gradually increase towards the
middle of the shi and decrease towards the end
> Eliminate sources of risks that might exacerbate fague
(eg lack of job control, manual handling, extremes of
temperature)
> Improve communicaon processes
> Improve the duraon and ming of work
> Ensure safe and ecient shi hand-over
These include, for example:
1. Repeve or monotonous work
2. Sustained physical or mental eort
3. Sustained and/or complex physical or mental tasks
1. Shi end (for those working eight hours or more
between 10.00pm and 6.00am)
2. Length of shi
3. Sequenal night shis
4. Period of non-work following a sequence of night shis
5. Breaks during work - frequency
6. Breaks between work periods
- recovery me
7. Seasonal work arrangements
- hours worked
1. Length of shi
2. Time of shi
3. Speed and direcon of shi
4. Split shis/variable shis
1. Average weekly hours
2. Total hours over a three-month period
3. Daily work hours
4. Daily work hours and work-related travel
5. Scheduling of work
(in 24 hours) (in 24 hours)
eg second job or long commute
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
> Improve job control and the other risk factors associated
with stress
> Ensure opportunies to clarify stress-related issues
> Avoid working during periods of extreme temperature
> Control exposure to hazardous substances and
environments
> Provide eecve protecve clothing and equipment,
allowing for dierent shis.
> Use heang and cooling to control ambient temperatures
to support alertness
> Provide adequate facilies for rest, sleep, meal breaks,
onsite accommodaon (if appropriate) and other essenal
requirements, such as bathroom facilies
> Install adjustable, vibraon-free seats in appropriate
machinery and vehicles
> Ensure the workplace and surroundings are well lit, safe
and secure
> Employees/workers who perform repeve manual tasks
should have regular rest breaks
> Ensure exposures are carefully monitored and exposure
levels adjusted. For example, exposure during a
10-hour shi may not equate to 1.25 mes the exposure
experienced during an eight-hour shi
1. Exposure to hazardous substances and atmospheric
contaminants
2. Exposure to noise
3. Exposure to extreme temperatures
4. Exposure to vibraon
5. Eect of exposure during extended shis
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk Opons
Opons
Opons
Opons
Opons
Opons
Opons
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk
website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/safety/world-leading-ohs
This chart is based on appendix 2 of the joint worksafe vic/nsw workcover report2008. hp://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/resources/le/eb87fc08b727473/vwa_fague_handbook.pdf.
1.
5.
2.
3.
4.
(night/evening/morn)
(morn/aernoon/night)
(weekly/3-4 week)
(working week) (working week) (working week)
short notice of schedule, extended
overtime on call across shift cycle