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New research shows that limiting drivers hours won’t reduce driver fatigue

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The new regulations

On July 1, 2013 new regulations for the North American trucking industry were introduced to reduce the problem of truck driver fatigue by limiting the work week to 70 hours from 82 hours, requiring longer rest periods after reaching the 70 hour maximum work period.

The assumptions behind these regulations are that the longer drivers are behind the wheel the greater their risk of having an accident and by giving drivers more time off they will get more rest.

Limiting drivers hours will not work to reduce driver fatigue

New research published in 2013 by the Australian National Truck Accident Research Centre (ANTARC) says neither assumption is correct.

ANTARC studied all 461 truck accidents from 2011 in Australia and concluded that 68% of all fatigue related incidents occurred within 250 km and 85% of the fatigue related incidents occurred within 500 km of the beginning of their journey, not the end.

ANTARC’s conclusion was that drivers were not getting the sleep they needed on their off days and came to work fatigued and unfit for duty.

Download a copy of the report

The answer to driver fatigue is scientifically validated data

Here at Fatigue Science we’re not surprised. Our Readibands have been used to examine the actual sleep and fatigue of workers in the trucking industry and many other industries globally for 4 years. During that time we have found that it’s common for truck drivers and workers from other industries to come to work tired – just take a look at our previous post on the recent incident at Vancouver International Airport with a fatigued worker.

In order to tackle the real fatigue problem in the trucking industry more assistance needs to be provided to drivers by tracking their actual sleep and fatigue at home and on the road.  Providing drivers with the scientifically valid data to educate and assist them to get the sleep they need to stay safe. Our Readiband technology can provide your drivers with real-time scientifically validated data to help reduce driver fatigue.

FAST used to identify fatigue as a factor in recent Vancouver airport incident

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Our Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST), was recently used by The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) to identify fatigue as a factor in an April 2013 incident at Vancouver Airport. FAST identified that the airport controller did not obtain sufficient sleep before their shift. In addition, the airport controller’s schedule did not permit enough adaptation time, requiring the controller to sleep during the day in an attempt to be adequately rested for the night shift.

The report says the controller mixed up the ID of a 737 and the Jazz plane waiting to take off and ordered the 737 to take off from the same runway where the Jazz plane was waiting. The confusion set off a delay in getting the planes off the ground, which forced an incoming West Jet plane to circle the runway.

FAST for Retrospective Analysis

By uploading an employee’s schedule into FAST, users can identify if an employee’s schedule could have caused fatigue and increased the likelihood of an incident or accident.

Further, if the employee was wearing our Readiband technology before the incident/accident actual sleep data could be imported into FAST for a more comprehensive analysis.

How does FAST work? 

FAST is our user-friendly scientifically validated software that has been developed for schedulers and planners to identify areas of fatigue risk in employee rosters. FAST allows organizations to upload rosters and generates visual predictions of performance along with tables of estimated effectiveness scores. The data can then be used for objective comparisons and optimal schedules may be selected for proposed work periods or mission critical events.

Business in Vancouver: Sleep science helping to reduce industrial accidents

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What do a near-miss at Vancouver International Airport in 2011 and a meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant have in common? The answer: sleep deprivation.

A recently released Transportation Safety Board report confirms a near miss at Vancouver International Airport in 2011 was due to air traffic controller fatigue, which was also partly to blame for the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.

According to Fatigue Science, a Vancouver company that specializes in sleep analysis for heavy industry and professional sports franchises, including the Vancouver Canucks, lack of sleep can impair judgment as much as drugs or alcohol.

View the full article

Readiband named in the top 100 global innovations in the mining industry

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Our ReadiBand, used to measure sleep and fatigue in athletes and 24/7 high-risk industries, has been named one of the Top 100 Global Innovations in the Mining Industry.

The study created by Minalliance, compiles and summarizes one hundred innovations in exploration, ore deposit definition, ore extraction, transport and communications, ore processing, health and safety and remediation developed around the world.

Fatigue Science CEO, Sean Kerklaan says “we are honoured that our Readiband has been recognized as key innovation in improving the health and safety of mines around the world”.

Developed by Fatigue Science, Readiband is a wrist-worn device which collects sleep data for fatigue analytics. Scientifically validated, sleep data from the device converts the quality and quantity of the wearer’s sleep into objective fatigue levels as well as quantifying the wearer’s effectiveness scores and reaction times and relative accident risk. Using the Readiband is the easiest and most accurate way to objectively quantify the current effects of fatigue and how it is affecting safety, performance and productivity within your workplace.

International mining company Rio Tinto, used the findings from Readiband to implement new guidelines that no worker can operate equipment after being awake for 14 hours. As a result of this change, Rio Tinto has lost no productivity, and has reduced fatigue-related accidents.

Download the full study

New Readiband features allow players to see when they need to sleep

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What was the key to Marion Bartoli’s recent win at Wimbledon? A 30-minute nap just before her match. Coaches, management and players all know the importance of sleep on recovery and performance. If sufficient sleep is not included in a training program then regeneration cannot occur and performance of the players plateaus.

But how do you ensure players are getting enough sleep when it counts the most?

New features on our scientifically validated Readiband watch allow players to track their real-time effectiveness scores and see in real-time how many hours until they need to sleep. The Readiband also collects aggregated sleep data to help athletes and sports organizations review and understand how fatigue is affecting their performance on a daily and hourly basis. The data can then be used as a proactive strategy for sports teams to ensure players attain adequate sleep for peak performance at game time.

By measuring sleep data using the Readiband sports organizations can:

  • Maximize player readiness
  • Boost player performance
  • Decrease recovery time and promote healing
  • Optimize travel schedules to reduce the effects of jet lag
  • Increase player durability while boosting health and morale
  • Reduce fatigue related injuries

Readiband has been used by some of the world’s leading sports organizations, including the Vancouver Canucks.

Techvibes.com: Fatigue Science develops new tech to help sleep

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Elliot Chan writes:

Sleep: we spend a third of our lives doing it—or at least we should.

In our stressful 24/7 world with deadlines and overtime, sleep deprivation is a common problem for many people. Whether you are a student or a professional athlete, society demands us to function at our best and Fatigue Science knows that in order to give our top performance we must be well rested and fully charged.

In 2007, Vancouver-based Fatigue Science was founded with the goal of creating a more effective world by applying science and technology to assist sleep, optimize performance, reduce risk and improve lives.

Fatigue Science understands that scheduling for sleep is not always as simple as closing your eyes. “Studies show that in the United States, 30% of adults sleep less than 6 hours per night,” FatigueScience.com states, “and 65% of adults have sleep problems at least a few nights a week…

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