FATIGUE MANAGEMENT IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY
LOCATION: National
Issue: In November 2020, Transport Canada approved new duty/rest rules for railway operating employees.
Date: MARCH 18, 2021
Suggested Responses
- To address the impact of fatigue on safe railway operations, in November 2020, Transport Canada approved the new Duty/Rest Rules for Railway Operating Employees.
- These rules better align with the latest science on fatigue management, and represent a significant improvement over the old rules. For example, the new rules establish shorter limits on duty periods, longer minimum rest periods, and new limits on the number of hours that can be worked each week and month.
- These new rules will be phased-in over the next two and a half years. In the meantime, Transport Canada will continue to work with the industry and labour representatives to identify measures to improve fatigue management.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Fatigue is well recognized and well documented safety hazard in the transportation industry. In Fall 2016, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada added the issue of fatigue management in the rail industry to their Watchlist, as a key safety issue that needs to be addressed.
- To address this issue, on November 25, 2020, Transport Canada approved the new Work/Rest Rules for Railway Operating Employees to reflect the latest fatigue science and fatigue management practices.
- The new rules contain a number of significant improvements over the old rules including:
- Reduction in the maximum length of a duty period from 16 hours to 12 hours;
- New limits on total works hours: 60 hours per 7 day period; 192 hours per month and no more than 2500 hours per year;
- Longer minimum rest periods when at a home terminal (12 hours versus 8 hours in the old rules) and at an away from home terminal (10 hours instead of 6) with a minimum 8 hours of undisturbed rest; and
- A reset break of 32 hours after every 7 days for operating employees in the freight rail industry.