Six Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Fatigue Solution

Six Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Fatigue Solution

A buyer’s guide to fatigue management solutions for a safer workplace

Is fatigue an issue for your business? 

The good news is that in today’s ever-evolving safety technology market, nuanced solutions exist to address a growing number of fatigue-related challenges.

What parameters should you consider before choosing a fatigue management solution?

There are three key windows of opportunity to address fatigue: 4-6 hours before work, just before entering the worksite, and during work. Vendors tend to focus on specific windows to ensure their solution is as effective as possible.

As a consequence, it is essential to identify what the most relevant window or windows of intervention are for you.

Armed with that insight, six primary considerations have been identified by dss⁺ when it comes to selecting a possible fatigue management solution adequate for your company.

1. What, if any, are the legacy fatigue management systems in place? Even if imperfect or outdated, does a fatigue management system already exist at some or all of your worksites? What characteristics does it have, and what outcomes or challenges does it present?
   
   
2. What are the circumstances surrounding most of the incidents you are trying to prevent? Without understanding whether your intervention should focus on drivers or operators, for instance, it will be much harder to identify the appropriate solution.
   
   
3. How would you qualify the maturity of the workforce in their acceptance of digital tools? Will certain formats make the solution easier to integrate into your workforce’s behaviour and habits?
   
   
4. Do you have a preference for form factor? Do the size, shape, and other physical specifications of a potential solution matter to you? 

For example, to cover points #3 and #4, if your workers tend not to be very computer-savvy, rather than adding a new gadget for them to figure out, it can be more effective to implement a form factor they are already familiar with but which has additional capacity that addresses your needs. A smart watch may be easier to convince your employees to wear and use than a specialized armband.

 5. What is your relative need for a predictive versus “last mile” solution? In the case of fatigue, is your concern to ensure workers are rested before they come in to work, or is the risk you have to address linked to repetitive tasks and therefore specific to “on-the-job” challenges?

 6. What is the potential scope of the fatigue management solution? Are the incidents you want to address and prevent related to a particular worksite or team, or is there the possibility of implementing the chosen solution across worksites, geographies, and cultures? 

Some other considerations, include whether the vendor has to be in a particular time zone (for example if your company’s headquarters are in Australia, should the vendor be based there too, to facilitate decision-making?), any specific language requirements, and whether you can work with a small vendor or require a provider who can work with you to implement a solution at scale across your company’s worksites.

The dss⁺ approach

dss⁺ takes a risk-based approach to fatigue management via a safety assessment combined with prioritization and decision-driving matrix. 

Building on your answers to the six key questions above, dss⁺ will overlay the question of implementation readiness of any given company or worksite, and assess the impact potential of any solution or series of solutions. dss⁺ teams will work with you to put together an optimal workflow, investment, and projected return on investment linked to the best fatigue solution for your company.

From data collection and defining needs to scouting for the best technology available that matches your requirements, through to implementation of the solution – dss⁺ accompanies its clients every step of the way.

Mindful of the importance of both foundational safety and tech-enabled safety, dss⁺ strives to reduce incidents at every level of the safety pyramid. From reducing unsafe acts and conditions to eliminating the risk of fatal accidents, dss⁺ prides itself in putting decades of experience at your service.