FATIGUE MANAGEMENT IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR
- Transport Canada (TC) is taking action to address fatigue in the transportation sector to enhance safety for Canadians.
- Changes have been made to the Canadian Aviation Regulations to strengthen rules addressing flight crew hours of work, as well as updates to the Duty/Rest Rules for Railway Operating Employees.
- Updated regulations mandating electronic logging devices for federally regulated motor carriers and drivers came into force in June 2021, [ Redacted ]
SUPPLEMENTARY MESSAGES
- The science on fatigue has evolved, and the department has an improved understanding of the extent to which fatigue can affect human performance.
- Since 2010, Transport Canada has conducted extensive consultations in regard to the Canadian Aviation Regulations with air operators, associations, pilot unions, and pilots.
- TC has also met with railways and labour to explain how TC will be interpreting and overseeing the Duty/Rest Rules for Railway Operating Employees. It has issued a guidance document to support industry application and implementation of the Rules.
SUPPORTING FACTS AND FIGURES
- Fatigue is a well-recognized and documented safety hazard in the transportation industry; the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has identified sleep-related fatigue as a contributing factor or a risk in at least 91 occurrences: 34 in aviation, 28 in marine, and 29 in the rail sector, since 2016.
- While motor vehicle incidents are not within the mandate of the TSB, available data indicates fatigue is a contributing factor to motor vehicle collisions. International consensus indicates that fatigue is a factor in 15 to 20% of road crashes.
BACKGROUND
- In 2018, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) placed fatigue in rail, marine, and air transportation on its Watch List.
- While acknowledging that Transport Canada has taken recent action to address fatigue in individual modes, the TSB reiterated further action needs to occur, and fatigue remained on its Watch List for 2022.
- Civil Aviation - Since December 12, 2020, large commercial air operators must comply with new flight and duty time requirements under the Canadian Aviation Regulations to manage flight crew fatigue; the changes for air taxi and commuter operations came into effect on December 12, 2022.
- Under the amended regulations, air operators have two choices: follow the prescriptive regulations; or submit an alternate plan describing how a fatigue risk management system will be implemented, for Transport Canada’s approval.
- A fatigue risk management system allows air operators to put in place a tailored, performance-based approach to fatigue management, as long as the plan is able to provide the equivalent control of fatigue risks.
- Rail Safety - 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.
- In particular, 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 in a week and per month.
- These new rules are phased-in: Fatigue Management Plans were submitted to Transport Canada by November 2022, and new limits regarding the length of work and rest periods will take effect in May 2023.
- Motor Vehicle Safety - In June 2021, amendments to the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations came into effect mandating electronic logging devices (ELDs) for federally regulated motor carriers. These updates will more accurately help track drivers’ work/rest hours and reduce the risk of fatigue.
- Marine Safety and Security -
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- In addition, Marine has engaged the services of Memorial University to provide a research report on fatigue including consultations with industry and stakeholders and is working with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) to develop an online training course on fatigue management for seafarers.