Tackling fatigue on the road

It’s an unfortunate reality that much of the work in the transport industry requires working unsociable hours. Our bodies aren’t designed to stay alert when it’s dark outside, or when we would usually be sleeping, so fatigue and sleepiness are a constant risk.

We engaged with 7 industry experts to produce a fatigue management course specifically designed for the transport and materials handling industry. Whether you’re a heavy vehicle driver, machine operator, supervisor or manager, there’s an obligation to understand fatigue, how it can be minimised, and what actions can be taken to reduce risk in the workplace.

To make a course like this easy to understand and digest, it’s presented as a number of short videos followed by a few questions to check the viewer understood what was explained. The experts bring the topics to life, giving actionable insights:

• Dr Andrew Veale, respiratory physician, talks about sleep apnoea and other medical conditions that can affect sleep.
• Dr Simon Dean, ophthalmologist, explains how fatigue and sleepiness affects your eyesight.
• Rachel Lehen, fatigue management consultant, and Fiona Johnston, occupational therapist, describe how fatigue can be managed within an organisation, including creating policies and plans.
• Dan Ford, sleep psychologist, discusses the psychology of sleep and how we can improve both sleep quality and quantity.
• Garry Jones, world CrossFit champion and TR driver trainer, explains how activity and exercise can stave off fatigue.
• Angela Berrill, dietitian, outlines how food and hydration can impact on both your sleep and how you feel.

Fatigue reduces productivity, increases sick days and, in the worst case, can lead to accidents. This fatigue course is a convenient and cost-effective way of improving safety in your organisation. It is available on our online learning portal, here for immediate purchase, your TR lease vouchers can be used (talk to your TR account manager), or please talk to our driver training department if you would like any further information.