Fatigue compliance flexibility the focal point of new offering
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released the first instalment of a new advanced fatigue management (AFM) application kit, aimed at simplifying access for operators seeking work and rest hour flexibility.
The AFM application kit was released at the Queensland Transport Association (QTA) Finding Flexibility in Fatigue Management workshop at the Port of Brisbane.
NHVR fatigue specialist Andreas Blahous says AFM allows operators to propose their own hours and rules to meet the unique demands of their operations, rather than sticking to prescriptive work and rest hours.
“AFM has been an option for operators wanting additional flexibility since 2008, but feedback from industry at the Fatigue Safety Forum was that the application process was difficult,” Blahous says.
“The new AFM application kit and tools provide practical examples of how operators have used AFM in the past to meet their needs and the types of countermeasures they used to stay safe and manage the seven fatigue principles.
“When assessing the safety of flexible driving hours, we also look at the seven fatigue principles as well as the operator’s countermeasures, such as sleep, rest, the use of fatigue-monitoring technology and other management practices.”
Read about the NTC’s ‘world-first’ heavy vehicle driver fatigue study, here
Blahous says heavy vehicle crashes as a result of fatigue have fallen to less than 10 per cent in recent years, compared to more than one in four crashes in 2003.
“This downward trend in fatigue-related crashes is a great result but we need to continue to offer opportunities for operators with strong safety systems and management practices to access flexibility.
“The NHVR held a Fatigue Safety Forum in October last year and the clear message from industry was that they don’t want more driving hours – they want more flexibility within the driving hours.”
All AFM proposals must be approved via the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), NHVR notes.
More details can be found here.