Edition 49, September 2007

Fatigue reform recognises industry skills

Proposed new competency standards will recognise industry skills and training to manage heavy vehicle driver fatigue.

The National Transport Commission is seeking stakeholder views on competency standards for forthcoming basic and advanced fatigue management schemes. The standards will clarify the skills and knowledge required by both drivers and schedulers to deliver safe working practices.

Under the proposals, existing Transitional Fatigue Management Scheme (TFMS) drivers will be able to operate under basic fatigue management hours for six months from the commencement of the new laws. This ensures staff are given time to be properly trained and assessed to the new standards.

TFMS drivers have already completed a course and many schedulers have years of experience managing a demanding job. Their existing skills and knowledge will be recognised. People will not need to retrain unless a significant gap is identified.

The National Transport Council is seeking feedback from the vocational education and training sector on their ability to resource the industry's training needs.

Transport and Logistics Australia (the Industry Skills Council) has developed competency units for fatigue management as part of the Transport andLogistics Training Package TDT02.

Proposed mandatory competency standards for basic and advanced fatigue management include:

  • Apply fatigue management strategies: this ensures drivers understand why fatigue occurs, can identify warning signs of fatigue and know how to respond safely.
  • Administer the implementation of fatigue management strategies: staff who schedule and roster drivers must demonstrate an understanding of how their work impacts on driver fatigue, including compliance monitoring, dealing with breaches and sudden scheduling changes.

Training can be delivered flexibly through the existing vocational education and training sector, which is already widely used by the industry.

Public submissions on the proposals close on 12th October 2007.

For more information visit www.ntc.gov.au

Related articles:
Fatigue prevention booklet released (Edition 59, August 2008)

This page was generated on 18 February, 2010

Tag cloud Tags: fatigue,National Transport Commission. Click here to view the tag cloud.