Rank: Forum user 
|
What are people's views in relation to hours of work and the potential knock on effect of fatigue on health and safety? Most policies I have seen state that you can voluntarily sign an opt out agreement to work more than 48 hours per week, but where does that then leave you.... Is it OK for someone to be consistently working for 60 hours every week? If any one's organisation has taken a stance or has a policy on the maximum number of hours they allow individuals to work I'd be really interested. Thank you in anticipation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
U can still, I believe, sign an opt-out re the WT regs but U cannot opt-out of H&S law; so its back to H&S risk assessment!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user
|
Very happy to take receipt of a manual handling policy written by a consultant working 60+ hrs at home - not happy being driven by a lorry driver off duty after a similar number of hours at his lorry's wheel.
Thank goodness for some activities being properly assessed and regulated :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
Actual fatigue depends upon the nature of "work", and all aspects of "breaks" ( to provide rest to the body systems) i.e. within "shifts", daily and weekly rather than the prescribed maximum amount in a week!
Although the EC "Working Time" Directive is with good intentions, the prescribed nature makes it perceived more to do with employment legislation than health & safety
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user
|
At my last company (mechanical engineering based), there was a huge correlation between the accident rate and the number of hours worked. Standard working week was 39hrs, but generally there was an option to do another 15 hours overtime - there was never any pressure put on people to work this, but most did.
As the order book dropped, we stopped the Saturday morning O/T and the accident rate dropped around 40% for a less than 10% drop in hours worked. This made the biggest difference, just getting everyone to have 2 days rest a week.
As we cut the O/T further, there were further improvements to the accident rate but the law of diminishing returns seems to apply.
This was based on a workforce of around 200, and nothing else changed in that time. I've been pretty anti O/T ever since.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
Very recent research [reported today on radio 4] again shows that long working hours produce more accidents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user
|
I have an ongoing debate with my employer over this issue, our maintenance engineers regularily travel the length and breadth of the country to maintain various sites; often starting early in the morning and finishing late at night. I have grave concerns over the fatigue issue and am attempting to change managers opinions and practices at the moment. I have found the Health and Safety Laboritories report very interesting, you may wish to review yourselves? Working Long Hours HSL/2003/02 Project Leader: Johanna Beswick MSc Author(s): Joanne White MSc, Johanna Beswick Science Group: Human Factors http://www.hse.gov.uk/re...sl_pdf/2003/hsl03-02.pdfRegards Grant1962
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.