The NHVR recently expressed disappointment at the criticism it’s fatigue management scheme for livestock transporters.
The regulator says its standing by the fatigue management scheme for livestock transporters in the wake of condemnation from one of the country’s leading fatigue experts, Professor Ann Williamson.
Prof. Williamson recently said she was dissatisfied with the scheme because it allowed drivers to work too long. She also felt it did not include enough measures to ensure they rested adequately.
Drivers accredited with the scheme are permitted to work up to 14 hours a day for 11 days in a row and must have a minimum rest of 10 consecutive hours if they work 14 hours in a 24 hour period.
The NHVR executive director of productivity and safety Geoff Casey said fatigue management experts were consulted during the scheme’s development in response to calls from livestock transporters for more flexibility.
Mr Casey explained that the scheme’s templates provided livestock transporters with greater awareness of the risks involved with road transport. He went on to explain:
“The livestock transport fatigue management scheme was created after a lengthy and robust discussion with industry and fatigue experts,” Casey says.
“Livestock transporters wanted more flexibility to respond to the complex and unique nature of the livestock transport task. The NHVR worked with industry and fatigue experts to balance that flexibility with additional controls that would manage the fatigue risk.
“By using the templates provided in the scheme, livestock transporters have a greater awareness of the risks associated with what they are asking their drivers to do and the need to ensure they have policies and procedures in place to safely manage those risks.”
Source: http://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1601/nhvr-stands-by-livestock-transport-fatigue-scheme/
Mr Casey went on to explain that anyone who wanted to use the scheme would still need to gain advanced fatigue management (AFM) accreditation and prove that they had sufficient systems in place to manage fatigue.
Mr Casey went on to state:
“While the livestock transport fatigue management scheme makes applying for AFM easier, each application is still assessed on its merits and will only be approved once the NHVR is satisfied that the fatigue risk has been suitably managed,” Casey says.
Source: http://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1601/nhvr-stands-by-livestock-transport-fatigue-scheme/
Although the NHVR has received criticism for the scheme, they have also received strong support from the trucking industry, the article on OwnerDriver.com.au noted.
The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland (LRTAQ) have expressed their support of the scheme.
