Why Fatigue Is Your Worst Enemy Presented by Robert A. Crescenzo Vice President Safety

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Why Fatigue Is Your Worst EnemyPresented
byRobert A. CrescenzoVice President Safety
Loss ControlTel 1-800-782-8902, ext. 3220 /
e-mail bcrescenzo_at_lancer-ins.comBusCon -
Chicago, IL 9/29/10
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Fatigue Means Business!

• 1 Unmanaged Risk
• The Primary Cause of Most Severe Accidents
• Responsible for up to 15 of Total Accidents in a
  Fleet

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Fatigue Means Business!

• Can Equal as Much as 80 of Total Claims Cost  
• Costs up to 0.02 Per Mile for an Average Carrier
  
• Reduces Total Revenue by 1-2 Annually 

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Circadian Rhythms

• We Are Programmed to Sleep at Night and Be
  Awake During the Day
• It Is Hard for Most People to Concentrate and
  Maintain Alertness Between Midnight and 700 AM

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Circadian Rhythms

• Difficult to Digest Food During These Hours As
  the Body Is in Shut Down Mode
• Post-Lunch Energy Dip Between 1 4 P.M.-
  Fatigue Is Common

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Our Body Wants to Sleep

• Between the Hours of 1200 AM and 700 AM
• And Between the Hours of 100 AM to 400 PM

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Are You a Morning Person or a Night Owl?

• Not an Old Wives Tale, but a Scientific Fact
• Work With Your Body Clock

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Ways to Compensate for Sleep Debt

• Recovery Sleep of 15-18 Hours
• Power Naps of 30 Minutes or 90 Minutes
• Compensate for Different Levels of Sleep

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Driving Implications

• Are Your Drivers Day or Night People
• Different Schedules/Shifts Will Alter Their Sleep
  Patterns and Cause Fatigue
• Travel Across Times Zones Also Creates Sleep
  Changes/Disruption

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Driving Implications

• Irregular Work Schedules Can Lead to
• Lapse in Judgment
• Driving Mistakes
• Catastrophic Errors

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Accidents vs. Time of Day

• Accident Rate Peaks at 430 AM
• Rises From 9 PM and Increases 5 Times Until 430
  AM Declines Again at 8 AM
• IF YOUR DRIVERS ARE ON THE ROAD BETWEEN 9 PM and
  8 AM ..THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE OF A CRASH

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How to Predict Future Crashes

• Any Continuous Driving Between 11pm and 7am on a
  Regular Basis
• Any Schedule That Requires Continuous Driving
  Between 11pm and 7am on the First Night Back
  After Days off (Night Sleep)
• 3. Any 10hr Shift That Starts Between 8pm and
  2am (Most Sleep Types Will Not Be Able to Get Any
  Sleep Prior to Leaving Home Some Larks May Be
  an Exception)

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How to Predict Future Crashes

• 4.Any Shift That Regularly Starts After 2am Which
  Are Considered Early Morning or Even Dayshifts
  (Most People Will Struggle Larks May Be an
  Exception)
• 5. Irregular Daily Shift Start Times Day to Day
  and Week to Week the Body Craves Anchor Sleep
  and Cant Cope With Flip Flopping Schedules
  (Call Boards)

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How to Predict Future Crashes

• 6. 16 Hour Rule Any Combination of Schedules
  Where Driving Occurs After 16 Hrs of Sustained
  Wakefulness (Deadheading Adds to Awake Time but
  Not On-duty!!)
• 7. Any Combination of Schedules That Do Not Allow
  for 2 Periods of Night Sleep (10pm-8am Without
  Work) After 4 or 5 Periods of Night Driving
• 8. Multi-day Trips Where a Driver Is Forced to
  Sleep One Night and Drive the Next Rapid Flip
  Flopping

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How to Predict Future Crashes

• Any Combination of Schedules That Lead to
  Extended Mid-shift Breaks (Split Shifts) Where
  Early Starts and Late Finishes Are Required
  (Legal but Not Safe)
• Trips Where a Driver Has to Do an Overnight Run
  (Schools, Skiing) but Normally Sleeps at Night
• 11. Any Schedule Where Drivers Have the
  Opportunity to Use Cruise Control at Night
  (Reduce Speed Settings or Disconnect on
  Activation of Driving Lights)

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Sleep Disorders

• Insomnia
• Difficulty Falling Asleep, Difficulty Staying
  Asleep, Unrestorative Sleep. Caused by Medical,
  Emotional Problems, Medication and Drugs
• Sleep Apnea
• Repeated Brief Cessation of Breathing During
  Sleep Accompanied by Loud Snoring and Gasping for
  Breath. It May Cause You to Wake Hundreds of
  Times a Night

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Sleep Apnea

• Middle Aged Men Who Experienced Both Snoring and
  Daytime Sleepiness Were MORE THAN TWICE As Likely
  to Have On-the-job Accidents
• 10 Year Study of 2000 Men Age 35-65 Indicated Men
  With Both Symptoms Had 2.2 Times the Risk for
  Being Involved in an Accident ( After Controlling
  for Other Risk Factors)

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Sleep Disorders

• Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
• Involuntary Movement of Legs and Arms As They
  Sleep Causing Difficulty Falling and Staying
  Asleep and Sleepiness While Awake
• Narcolepsy
• Sudden Wave of Sleepiness and Fall Asleep
  Several Times Throughout the Day

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Alertness and Fatigue

• Alertness Level Is Constantly Fluctuating. These
  Factors Control Your Level of Alertness
• Interest, Opportunity or Sense of Danger
• Muscular Activity
• Time of Day on Circadian Clock
• Sleep Bank Balance
• Ingested Nutrients and Chemicals

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Alertness and Fatigue

• These factors control your level of alertness
• Environmental Light
• Temperature
• Sound
• Aroma
• What the driver is doing OFF the job is almost
  MORE Important than what is done ON the job

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Alertness and Fatigue

• Microsleeps or Nodding Off- Brief Episodes of
  Loss of Attention Associated With Events Such As
• Blank Stare
• Head Snapping
• Prolonged Eye Closure
• These Events Last 2- 30 Seconds and Usually
  Happen in Pre-Dawn Hours, Mid-Afternoon or After
  Repetitive Activity

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Alertness and Fatigue

• Unaware of the Event Until ResultMissing an Exit
  Swerving Passing a Red Lightnot Noticing a
  Curve in the Road.
• 50 of All Fatal Highway Accidents Are Caused by
  Drivers Falling Asleep or Nodding off Briefly
• 80 of Commercial Drivers Have Experienced These
  Episodes

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Alertness and Fatigue

• 6 Hours or Less of Sleep Makes You
• Impatient
• Stressed
• Irritable
• Depressed
• More Likely to Make Mistakes
• Impairs Your Work Performance

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What Can You Do?

• EDUCATE Dispatchers and Drivers
• Assign Drivers Prudently
• Determine Which Drivers Are Most Likely Able to
  Manage Night or Early Morning Trips
• Dont Assign a Double to a Driver Who Needs Sleep
  Even If Compliant With Hours of Service

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What Can You Do?

• Be Aware of Drivers Off Duty Behavior Train
  That Life Away From Work IS Part of the Job
• Always Have a Plan B When a Driver Calls in
  But Remember
• YOU GET TIRED JUST LIKE THE REST OF US!

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What Can the Driver Do?

• Get at Least 7 hours of Sleep BEFORE Work
• Exercise Regularly
• Limit Heavy Meals BEFORE Driving-Avoid Turkey,
  Nuts and Milk- they make you sleepy
• Learn Their Bodys Signal Telling Them When They
  Are Fatigued
• Stop the Bus for 20 Minutes and Walk Around
• Limit Caffeine, Use Only When Needed

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What Can the Driver Do?

• Be Careful of Taking Any Medication
• Chew Gum
• Open the Window
• Drink Water
• Sleep After Arriving at the Destination
• Schedule Time off to Rest and Relax
• Stop The Bus And Take A Break!

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Resources

• Log Ontohttp//www.circadian.com/ And Review
  the Site. You Can Sign up for Free Newsletters
• Log Onto This Site and Take the Quiz!
  http//www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetyprogs/fatigue/fatig
  uequiz.htm

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