We developed the alertness assessment process as an additional layer of protection for the health, wellbeing, and safety of our people. 

Our alertness assessment involves the following initial steps:

  1. All safety-critical employees are initially given the opportunity to self-declare their fitness for duty (level of alertness) at the point of booking on for duty. 
  2. Where a safety-critical member of staff has ‘flagged’ on our Fatigue Risk Management System for potential likelihood of fatigue, it is possible that at the point of booking on, they may deem themselves fit for duty. However, it is also possible that a person’s alertness may change during their shift, and that they would need to be supported when this occurs. The purpose of the alertness assessment process is to check on how the person is feeling midway through their shift. We can then put mitigations in place, if required.
  3. At a predetermined time within their shift, the person will be contacted by control, and their level of alertness will be evaluated based on a series of scenarios aligned with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). The person will then be asked which of the statements they feel best describes how they feel at that exact moment. The action that would then be taken by control as a reasonable mitigation will be determined by the person’s answer.  

Challenges and risks

We needed to ensure that control were given the tools to know exactly what to do with each given statement. These actions are all on the alertness assessment form. 

We also had to ensure that the additional work for control was managed and simplified to get buy-in from the controllers. We did not want it to be seen as additional work in an already very busy and stressful environment.

We worked with members of control to develop the form so that they felt that they were part of the solution. The form is easy to use and interactive, so it can be saved and emailed at the press of a button.

We briefed the control staff in detail, then we briefed our operational staff, ensuring that they all understood the process and the reason why this process was being implemented—for their welfare. 

We were also aware of the risk that people may not answer truthfully when undergoing the assessment, or that they may under- or overestimate their current state of sleepiness, either for concern of letting the business down or for their own gain. However, there were no any issues with this at all. 

Issues raised

To begin with, there were many occasions when control called the employee that there was no answer due to the person undertaking safety-critical roles at the time. 

So, we updated the process and briefed out that everyone who would be undertaking an alertness assessment that day would be advised by email earlier in the day. This means they would be expecting the call. 

If they are still unable to answer when called, the person must return the call at the earliest opportunity. 

This is our current process, and it is working well. 

An additional layer of safety

We at Colas Rail have been using this process for around 2 years, and it is fully embedded within our business. 

We firmly believe that we have highlighted and resolved many fatigue issues that would not have been raised without the alertness assessments. 

We have not lost any planned services or shifts due to the implementation of this assessment. All reports of fatigue have been mitigated with additional breaks, rotation of duties, removal of road driving, use of hotels, and controlled rest. 

We will never know how many incidents or accidents have been avoided with this process. However, our approach has provided an additional layer of safety and security for our business. 

More importantly, it gives our employees the confidence that their health and safety will be prioritised on every shift.