One of our guidance documents (ie, one step down the hierarchy from mandatory procedures) with respect to driving when tired says something like "If you start feeling tired when driving you should have a break, drink a strong coffee (or energy drink) and try to get at least 15 minutes sleep whilst the caffeine takes effect." We don't have any professional drivers, most people are driving on business only occasionally, but we do cover works nationwide, and overnight, so people are occasionally driving moderate distances and at abnormal hours. We have a policy of limiting driving to 8 hours a day, or 4 hours at night (providing overnight accommodation if this is going to be exceeded) I'm not particularly comfortable with a company guidance document advocating reliance on energy drink, but I find that the AA (at http://www.theaa.com/pub...ports/tired-drivers.html ) the government (at http://think.direct.gov.uk/fatigue.html ) and even the NHS (at http://www.nhs.uk/Livewe...afety/Pages/Drivers.aspx ) advocate coffee or energy drink. Does anyone else have company documents that advocate caffeine in these circumstances? Does anyone have any views on the wisdom (or otherwise) of this?

From our "safe driving guidance": "If you are tired it is recommended that you have a short nap (up to 15 minutes) and drink two strong caffine drinks."

Ours is similar, and based on the same guidance - we also stress that this must only be done: 1. ONCE during a journey (if it's not sufficient to get you home, have a proper sleep in accommodation or as a last resort in the vehicle), and 2. to complete a journey (rather than giving you a boost to start a trip). Obviously not a better alternative to stopping over, but I have used "caff naps" myself to good effect occasionally. Sometimes it just doesn't work to stay over, maybe something unravels late in the day or there's a traffic hold-up which you can't control. I have used "caff naps" myself to good effect occasionally, so I'd rather someone was aware of this as a temporary fix than the third alternative.

Our Road Safety Authority (RSA) also advises the caffine and sleep.

I have seen this advice before and it has always surprised me. It seems to be telling employers to encourage their employees to in effect self-medicate so that they can get a job done. This all without any individual assessments of what the effects of this might be on an employee. Yes I can appreciate that a cup of coffee should be thought of as a last rest to get you home but I can easily imagine a situation where dosing on caffeine drinks just becomes what people do every day. Would anyone advise people working overtime on a factory floor to or on a building site to take something to pep them up to get through to the end of the shift?

I also think it's a poor piece of guidance. Work less hours don't dose up on caffeine drinks (which I like many can't do by the way). The culture of working long hours in this country is appalling IMO.

Many years ago I was taking Nebosh Cert and another of the delegates from a well known car manufacturer was on the same course. He had concerns a vending machine was stocked with medication and stimulant drinks, to enable staff to complete their 12 hr shifts.

In general I agree with the principle of not duplicating content that can be found in other equivalently-readable documents. However, I find it useful to have a formalised 'guideline' document in some areas that contains references to where that other content is, and/or highlights particular elements. In the case of driving, I don't think merely saying 'read the Highway Code' is nearly as useful as suggested. Primarily, this is because pretty much everyone has read the highway code, and thinks they know what it says even when the last time they read it was forty years ago just before their driving test. That is, if a procedure says to obey the Highway Code (as indeed ours does - "Staff must drive in accordance with the Highway Code...") anyone reading it just does a mental 'yeah yeah of course I drive in accordance with the Highway Code'. Even if you ask them to sign a form that says they've read the HC you'll get an immediate signature (of course they read the HC, they had to to pass their test). The signature might slightly cover your / the company's backside, but I don't think it improves safety. So for driving (which is actually about the most risky thing our people do at work) we have a procedure (which references the HC but does not duplicate any of it, and adds our additional requirements) but also a guideline that highlights (and does duplicate) some of the lesser-thought-about aspects of the HC. Fatigue is one of those things, especially as we ask people to drive to and from night shifts all over the country. I think this is a suitable and appropriate approach.

Very good document- I like the fact that it is based around individual assessment and regards use(abuse?) of caffeine as a risk factor not a potential control.

Good debate. I'm unfortunately one of those people that cannot sleep without a ridiculous amount of criteria being met let alone nap (the dark room, the silence, the temperature etc etc) and so I could not 'just take a 15 nap' even if I wanted to. Have used caffiene in one form or another though at times in the past and it does seem to work in the short term at least but would not advicate long term reliance as a control measure. As with anything I'd assume the body would get used to a certain amount after a time and for similar effect the doasge would have to be higher in frequesnt 'users'.

Having implemented such a system many years ago this was based on a research study by Loughborough University's Sleep department and was the best available guidance at the time. If anyone has a better research document supporting a change then lets have it....the key point is being properly prepared for your journey which is part of the 'don't drive tired' campaign.