Posts Tagged ‘construction health and safety’

Too Tired to Drive

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Tired Driver

Concerns have been raised over the dangers of driving when tired.

The Issue

The latest survey, jointly sponsored by Direct Line Insurance and Brake (a road safety charity) found that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of drivers who admit to driving whilst tired as compared to previous research carried out six years ago.

  • Those admitting to driving whilst tired sometime during the past 12 months has increased from 46% to 74%.
  • 9% of those surveyed admitted to driving whilst tired at least once a week.
  • It is estimated that 20% of fatal road accidents on trunk roads are caused by drivers who are too tired to be behind the wheel. This figure has to be an estimate because it is difficult to establish that a driver was asleep at the time of an accident, so the actual figure could be significantly higher.

Whether driving for social reasons or driving for work, this represents a particularly high risk for those who are driving whilst tired and for other road users. An accident that occurs because a driver has fallen asleep tends to be a high-speed collision simply because the unaware driver makes no attempt to break.

From an employer’s point of view, it is important to educate drivers about the dangers of driving when tired and what to do about it since there are all kinds of misunderstandings and even myths about how to stay awake.

Drivers need to be aware of what to do (what works) and what not to do (what doesn’t work) if they begin to feel tired whilst driving or before setting off.

Remedies that Do Not Work

There are some actions that seem to be almost instinctive but they simply don’t help, for example:

  • Opening a window. 70% of drivers have tried this but it is not effective.
  • Listening to the radio, CD or tape. 54% of drivers try this but it doesn’t work either.
  • Stopping and going for a short walk. 39% have tried this but any effect is very short term.
  • Face washing. 29% have tried this but there is no lasting effect.

These techniques don’t work because the only real cure for tiredness is to sleep. A problem associated with all these attempts is that they may result in micro-sleeps. These are short periods of sleep that might last for a few seconds up to half a minute, after which drivers recover consciousness without realising they have been asleep. Clearly, during these short naps, drivers are completely unaware of what is happening around them and they are unable to take any defensive action.

Remedies that Do Work

Following good health and safety principles, the first aim is to eliminate the risk entirely. If this is not possible, the aim should be to reduce risk to acceptable levels.

  • Consider avoiding driving all together by using trains or other forms of public transport.
  • For anyone planning a road journey, there is no substitute for a good night’s sleep the night before. In fact, a driver who feels tired should not set out on the journey at all.
  • For longer journeys, plan the route and timing to allow for regular breaks – typically take a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours.
  • Ensure those who drive for work do not exceed recommended limits on driving hours. These are legally enforced for large vehicles but they should also be encouraged for car and van drivers.
  • Avoid pressures that might encourage workers to carry on driving when they are tired.
  • Test for sleep apnoea. This is a condition that interferes with a person’s breathing while they are asleep and which often goes undiagnosed. However the result is daytime sleepiness and fatigue, making it much more likely that the sufferer will fall asleep when driving.

Drivers who start feeling tired during a journey are recommended to:

  • Find somewhere safe to stop as soon as possible.
  • Since the only really effective cure for tiredness is sleep, the best option is to find somewhere to have a good night’s sleep.
  • If a full night’s sleep is not a practicable option, take a short nap for 10 to 15 minutes duration before carrying on with the journey.
  • If possible, combine a short nap with a caffeinated drink, for example two cups of strong coffee. However, the effects of caffeine and a short nap don’t last long. They may help in an emergency but are not adequate for long journeys or for drivers who are still feeling the effects of tiredness.

It is important that drivers appreciate that they are in charge of a lethal weapon that has to be under tight control at all times.



Contact EDP HS&E Consultants for all your health, safety and environment needs. We can check your current arrangements and advise you about any changes or improvements you need to make.

To discuss your requirements, without any obligation on your part, please gives us a call on 01744 766000 or complete the Enquiry Form on our website.

In addition to our regular newsletters, you can also keep up with the latest information from EDP by visiting our blog at http://edp-uk.blogspot.com/

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Health and Safety | No Comments »

Keeping Young People Safe in the Workplace

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Most employers are fully aware of their duties under Health and Safety legislation to safeguard their employees from the hazards they may encounter in the workplace.

What many are less aware of is that inexperienced workers (typically in the age range from 15 to 24 years old) are likely to be more at risk than their older, more experienced colleagues.

Health and safety at work

Health and safety at work

It is helpful to know how people are defined by age in Health and Safety law:

“A Young Person” is anyone under the age of 18 years of age

“A Child” is anyone who has not yet reached the official age at which they may leave school, (this is often referred to as the minimum school leaving age, MSLA)

Larger organisations that employ significant numbers of graduates or school leavers on a routine basis should be aware of the need to consider young people as a special case in regard to health and safety. However, smaller organisations that may recruit very few young people or perhaps only employ them on a sporadic basis may overlook the need to give them special attention.

Causal Factors

There are all kinds of reasons why young people face greater work-related risks including, for example:

  • General lack of skills and experience of the work, the tasks and the workplace
  • Lack of maturity often leading to a failure to recognise risks that may be second nature to their older, more experienced workmates
  • Lack of specific health and safety training, coupled with a natural tendency to ignore or not to treat seriously any training that is given. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Construction, Health and Safety, Outsourcing | No Comments »

Time to Review Your Fire Safety?

Monday, June 21st, 2010

The introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in October 2006 marked a major change in the UK’s approach to fire safety. The old system of fire certificates was replaced with an approach that was significantly more risk assessment based, placing a greater emphasis for fire safety on employers and owners / occupiers of buildings.

We reported on the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order in July 2005.

The risk-based approach implemented by the fire safety order applies to (almost) all non-domestic premises – community, industrial and business. Employers, owners and occupiers are required to appoint a competent, responsible person to carry out a fire safety risk assessment, implement appropriate fire protection measures and maintain a fire management plan. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health and Safety | No Comments »

World Cup Employment issues

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

As the tournament has now begun and the England team squad has finally been in action, employers should be mindful of some of the potential obstacles/issues that they may encounter over the next few weeks.

We look at a few of these in turn:

How should employers deal with requests for time off?
Absenteeism during World Cup

There is no legal requirement for employers to give employees time off to watch World Cup matches. Employers should take a common sense and commercial view. How will employee absence affect the overall running of the business?

Requests for leave should be addressed in the usual way. To maintain overall staff morale it may be worthwhile to consider the option of flexible work (as appropriate) in order to accommodate the key fixtures. A blanket ban may in fact be counterproductive and employers should note that an intransigent approach on their part might lead to staff demotivation and resentment. As a suggestion, it may be appropriate to allow staff the opportunity to watch games during working hours and perhaps allow employees the right to make up the time by additional work at other times.

Be careful to avoid employees giving up their rest breaks. Employees are entitled to a 20-minute rest break for every shift lasting more than 6 hours. Workers should not take their break at the beginning or end of a shift. Other suggestions include offering extended lunch breaks or alteration in shift patterns.

What if employees spend an inordinate amount of their working time following the World Cup via the Internet?

Different employers will have a different view on this. Do you have an Internet usage policy in your staff handbook? If not, what is common practice at your workplace? Is personal use of the Internet prohibited or do you allow personal use subject to a reasonable use policy? In any event, employers should expressly state what their policy is. Ideally this should have happened before the tournament kicked off.

Where an employee breaches the rules, either by excessive use or accessing World Cup material where this is prohibited, then the matter should be addressed as soon as it comes to light. (more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Health and Safety | No Comments »