Six standards of a Fatigue Management System

 If you are about to take a Fatigue Management course in the near future, make sure, it touches upon the following six factors for sure.

Six standards of a basic fatigue management

Address the work and resting schedules

Often misconceptualized, BFM or Basic Fatigue Management doesn't reduce work hours but helps make work times more flexible. This means rather than sticking to the general work schedule, employers scrutinize the employee's health first and then only create their working hours. This allows drivers to get proper rest before starting their day, avoiding the risks of sudden fatigue while driving or doing other chores. The same rule also applies for individuals performing night hours, as the program restricts consecutively working more than 36 hours.

Fitness for Duty

Another major milestone that makes the course a must-have for all job types is that it encourages operators and employers never to disregard their employee's health. It is no wonder that an exhausted employee can never offer their ultimate best at work. This creates an issue for the employee's career and risks the company's output and equipment safety. Hence, to ensure their best conditions at all times, regular medical assessments and related programs are highly advised.

Awareness about BFM

One of the easiest and fastest methods of ensuring greater work productivity includes spreading awareness about basic fatigue management. Thus, every supervisor, operator, manager, and driver taking part in the course must teach and encourage others to properly follow the many golden rules of the program. This can be done by arranging demonstrations or invoking fun and out-of-the-box ideas to make the process easy to understand.

Managing responsibilities

Unlike any other course, basic fatigue management also requires its participants to perform their duties well. Starting from understanding their sole responsibilities to their perfect execution, managers and superiors are needed to pay more attention when dealing with employees. This includes encouraging a healthy lifestyle, guiding to perform regular exercises, and taking optimal rest; every responsibility should be clearly defined. Seniors can also take the help of charts to streamline the sharing of responsibilities amongst their subordinates.

Internal Review

To ensure proper compliance to BFM standards, operators also need to undertake internal audits every once in a while. This system allows a better understanding of any underlying causes that may be hampering the overall work productivity and employee safety. Once recognized, these problems can then be effortlessly investigated and solved through proper channels. The gap between these audits can vary between 12 months. However, it is always preferable to schedule these timings depending upon your manpower, as larger groups might need more frequent audits than that of smaller groups.

Records and Documentation

Finally, to be eligible to get BFM accreditation, managers and supervisors will need to implement policies and procedures covering all course requirements. This includes work diaries, schedules, and rosters, 36-hour rule, etc. Moreover, they will also be needed to demonstrate their competence in managing driver fatigue before being successfully passed for the basic fatigue management program.

Conclusion

That's being said, it is now imperative to look for a course that will certainly address all the aspects mentioned above. In this regard, KRTS Training would be your ideal bet. They provide top-quality BFM courses for heavy truck drivers.