Fatigue Management in the Northern Territory

Snapshot

The Northern Territory has been exempted from implementation of the National Driving Hours Regulations by the Ministerial Council for Road Transport. In agreeing to this exemption, Ministers recognised the different operating environment in remote areas and accepted that the heavy vehicle transport industry in the Northern Territory had, and still has, a good safety record.

The Northern Territory has developed a Fatigue Management Code of Practice under the provisions of the NT Workplace Health and Safety Act. The code was gazetted in September 1998.

The approach to fatigue management adopted in the code is that employers, including self-employed operators, have an obligation to provide and maintain a healthy and safe working environment, and to ensure that no other person is put at risk as a result of the work in which the employer or any worker is engaged. The adoption of the code by operators is voluntary, however, the onus is on the operator to prove that their systems of work have met their occupational health and safety obligations. Western Australia has adopted a similar approach.

The code was developed as a collaborative effort by the Road Transport Industry, Department of Planning and Infrastructure, and Department of Employment, Education and Training (NT WorkSafe). The code was distributed widely and has been well received by industry. The code is intended for use as a good practice benchmark by road transport operators including commercial bus and tour vehicle operators.

The Code of Practice provides guidance on how to meet duty of care obligations under the NT Workplace Health and Safety Act and lists guiding principles which should be considered in the development of a fatigue management system for drivers. The code focuses on safe outcomes as a result of appropriate risk assessment based on the task at hand, the flexibility to take appropriate rest, and the management of driver health issues.

The prescribed approach to driving hours as a method of managing fatigue, through the use of driver log books, has been proven not to be effective in managing fatigue and is currently under review. In October 2000, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communication, Transport and the Arts, released the report 'Beyond the Midnight Oil: an inquiry into managing fatigue in transport'. In this report, the inadequacies of the log book system are acknowledged, and the Northern Territory approach is recognised as a valid alternative to the prescriptive driving hours approach.

The National Transport Commission (NTC) is currently coordinating a review of the regulatory approach to fatigue management, and the development of a Code of Practice which encompasses fatigue and other heavy vehicle safety issues. The Northern Territory is an active participant in this process.

To gain an indication of the level of implementation of fatigue management systems under the Northern Territory code of practice, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure sent a letter to registered owners of prime movers and buses over 16 tonnes. The response to this letter indicated that operators require some assistance in the development of fatigue management systems.

The Department has established a working group, with representatives of the peak Northern Territory road transport industry body, the Australian Trucking Association Northern Territory (ATANT), and the Department of Employment, Education and Training (NT WorkSafe), to develop measures which will assist industry implement fatigue management systems.

model fatigue management systems which operators may pick up and implement;
a risk assessment guide for operators and drivers; and
a self-audit guide which will provide a check list for operators to ensure that their work system meets their occupational health and safety obligations.

The materials have been developed primarily with the ATANT, however consultation is taking place with other sectors of the industry to assist in ensuring appropriate fatigue management systems are put in place.

NT WorkSafe officers will conduct office-based random audits of transport operators to ensure adequate fatigue management systems are in place.