Introduction
2:10
Markovski, Anita:
Good afternoon. My name is Anita Markovski, AMSA Safety Liaison. Welcome to our webinar on fatigue risk management on domestic commercial vessels. Thank you for taking the time to join us today for this important topic.
Before I get into the housekeeping and introductions, I'd like to acknowledge country. In the spirit of reconciliation, we here at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and also acknowledge the connexions to land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to their elders, past and present, and also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here on the webinar today.
Okay, with regards to housekeeping, please be aware.
If you'd like to turn on live captioning, please do so by clicking on the captions at the top of your Teams window. If you have any questions, please post these in the Q&A chat, and our AMSA experts, Dr. Michelle Grech and Joanne, will answer them along the way. You can choose to post your questions anonymously if you wish.
Any questions you see in the chat that you also want answered, you can vote for by liking the question in the Q&A chat. We will try to answer as many questions as possible. However, we won't be able to get to all the questions today. So any questions that don't get answered during today's webinar, will be sent to you in a follow-up e-mail and available also on our website.
Today's webinar is being recorded. You will receive an e-mail with a link to the webinar recording afterwards. This e-mail will also include a copy of this presentation and audio podcast. Additional resources and links will be posted in the chat throughout this presentation, so keep an eye out for them.
We will also ask you to complete a short survey at the end of this session to help ensure our webinars meet your needs.
As you can see in the slide, these are the areas that we'll cover today. We will look at what are the AMSA requirements for managing the risk of fatigue, what is fatigue, how to recognise it, look at how fatigue impacts our health, find out causes of fatigue and discuss the consequences. We will look at a few examples of incidents involving fatigue. Then we'll go through what you need to do to manage the risk of fatigue, how to put it in practice and apply fatigue risk management in your everyday operations, AMSA resources and have a Q&A session to answer your questions. So let's dive into it and please remember to type your questions in the chat box located at the top of the screen and keep your eye out for resources that will be posted in the chat.
AMSA requirements for fatigue management
Let's start this webinar with the rules on fatigue risk management on domestic commercial vessels.
Under Marine Order 504, it requires that all Class 1, 2 and 3 vessel owners must include a fatigue risk management plan in their safety management system. The plan must identify the risks of master and crew fatigue and document how they will manage these risks.
Now AMSA doesn't prescribe how large or small the plan should be, but the plan needs to be appropriate to the size and the complexity of your vessel and operations and crew, and that works best for your operations. We will look at some examples of fatigue risk management plans later in the presentation.
It is also important for vessel owners to continue to manage the risk of fatigue under local, state and territory work health and safety laws.
Who is responsible for managing the risk of fatigue
Who is responsible for managing the risk fatigue? Well, everyone is responsible. Owners need to provide proper onboard environment, provisions and the appropriate rest and recovery time for crew.
They also need to ensure fatigue risks are addressed in the SMS and fatigue controls are implemented.
Masters need to contribute to the fatigue risk assessment and the development of the fatigue risk management plan and apply and monitor controls during operations.
Crew also need to contribute to the fatigue risk assessment and the development of the fatigue risk management plan. Follow policies and procedures, take recovery and rest opportunities when given, and report fatigue concerns promptly to the master. We will go through that in more detail later in the presentation.
What is fatigue
So let's look at what is fatigue. Well, fatigue is a hazard that can affect a seafarer's ability to do their job effectively and safely. Apart from impairing a seafarer's performance, it leads to mistakes, incidents and injuries and can also lead to long-term health issues.
The nature of maritime operations means that many seafarers are exposed to conditions which lead to fatigue, and no one is immune to fatigue. It can affect everyone.
As it cannot be eliminated, it must be appropriately managed and needs to be treated just like any other safety hazard on board.
Recognising fatigue
Here are some common warning signs of fatigue: yawning and nodding off, experiencing microsleeps. Noticeable changes in behaviour like being irritable or short-tempered. Slow reactions, poor concentration, and bad judgement of speed, distance, and hand and eye coordination. People are very poor judges of their own performance when fatigued. So if you see these signs in yourself, and in others, fatigue has likely already kicked in.
Fatigue impacts on health
Fatigue affects your health. Sure, we know it makes us make mistakes, feel tired and sleepy in the short term, but fatigue can lead to other long-term health issues if left unmanaged, like anxiety and depression, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Causes of fatigue
So what causes us to experience fatigue? Well, there are many factors that can lead to fatigue in crew, but some aspects that raise the risk of fatigue include inadequate sleep. This is the number one and most important factor that leads to fatigue. Most people need 7 to 9 hours of good quality, uninterrupted sleep to perform effectively. Anything less than that amount is a compromise. For example, if a person only obtains 5 hours of sleep, they have accumulated a sleep debt. Unless this sleep debt is recovered, it will lead to performance impairment.
Sleep debt only goes away by getting good quality sleep. And then in successive nights of inadequate sleep adds to this sleep debt. This leads to further reduction in performance and can lead to more severe fatigue symptoms such as microsleeps. Long-term debt has been shown to have a significant impact on health and well-being.
Working at night and early starts impact sleep quantity and quality. And working long hours, especially without breaks, we become more fatigued. Also, intense mental and heavy physical workload increased fatigue. A seafarer's working and sleeping environment is important. Ship motion, vibrations, noises, temperature variations, and light can affect the quality of crew sleep.
Working more than one job, starting shifts already tired, and in recent years, family and work demands, as well as an increased use of electronic devices such as our smartphones and time spent on social media, have affected our sleeping habits. Stress, for example, being separated through work from family, and isolation can cause stress, which can affect whether a seafarer obtains sufficient, uninterrupted quality sleep.
All these factors compromise the crew's ability to obtain quality sleep. And the point we really want to stress throughout this session is that it's all about sleep and getting enough of it. Links to the AMSA fatigue website are being placed in the chat if you would like more information.
Causes of fatigue – body clock
The time-of-day matters when it comes to managing the risk of fatigue. Typically, we are at our most alert during the day and sleepy at night due to our circadian rhythm, or more commonly known as our body clock, our body system to regulate being awake and being asleep. The circadian low the point at which our lowest point of wakefulness typically occurs between 2am and 6am every day.
Working during these times means we are more at risk of making mistakes. When you look at the circadian rhythm diagram in the slide, you can see the period that is darker red in colour from 2 to 6 am. This is where crew are likely to be sleepy and need to make additional effort to maintain alertness and performance. So for many seafarers, working patterns conflict with their body clock. If you have to be awake and work at night or in the early morning or for extended periods, it can disrupt your body clock, resulting in increased risk of fatigue.
Consequences of fatigue
When someone is fatigued due to a lack of adequate sleep, they are more likely to lose control of the vessel, have a collision or a grounding, miss important checks and alarms, make poor decisions, and react too slowly in an emergency. Fatigue has been found to be a contributing factor to incidents that are reported to AMSA each year.
Safety lessons
Let's now take a look at a couple of incidents that were reported to AMSA, and from the investigation outcomes, we developed safety lessons, which we will provide a link to in our resources slide at the end of this presentation if you want to read more about them.
To give you some background, this first incident involved a single operator fishing vessel operating in poor weather. The master had been working for 17 hours straight without any rest. When he was finally done for the night and while approaching the area that was planned to anchor, the master fell asleep at the helm, but the vessel continued on its course for another 800 metres before grounding on the rocks.
After the grounding, the vessel began taking on water, and eventually the master abandoned the vessel.
During the investigation, the master acknowledged that falling asleep caused the grounding. Working alone increased their risk, as there was no second person to monitor their fatigue or takeover when the master felt tired. Operational pressure played a role too. The master was trying to recover gear despite working in poor conditions, and fatigue was not effectively managed. There were no controls in place to prevent or reduce the risk. Whilst this incident demonstrates that workload, weather, and operational pressure contributed to the grounding, the primary contributing factor was fatigue and an absence of a fatigue risk management controls in place.
The second incident I wanted to highlight involved a larger vessel and operation, a Class 3B fishing vessel, with a master and two inexperienced crew on board. This vessel grounding occurred after six days at sea. The vessel struck a reef early in the morning while under the master's watch. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the vessel required assistance and was eventually detained. The key issue was not weather or mechanical failure. In this case, it was fatigue. The master had very little sleep, about four hours in total over the entire six days due to needing to supervise inexperienced crew and taking on more tasks. Even during off-watch periods, he stayed nearby instead of resting properly, sleeping on a day bunk in the galley rather than sleeping in his own cabin. The watch system relied heavily on the master due to the inexperienced deck hands. Fatigue accumulated across the voyage and reduced alertness and decision-making ability. This culminated in the grounding event.
The investigation found that the master was continually on watch or on call and had limited options but to operate under less than adequate conditions, leading to extreme fatigue. The crew lacked the qualifications and experience to safely share the workload. And they found that risk assessments were either missing or poorly implemented and no fatigue risk management plan was developed to manage fatigue risks. Critical fatigue protocols like watch alarms were identified in the risk assessment and SMS but were not put in place. This incident highlights that fatigue due to severe lack of sleep can directly lead to serious incidents.
Having systems in place is not enough, they must be properly applied. Had the fatigue risks been identified through the vessel's risk assessment, controls could have been put in place to reduce fatigue risks, and the master could have had a fatigue risk management plan to rely on use. Vessel owners play a critical role here in ensuring safe operations and ensure that fatigue risk management plan is developed, implemented and used during operations. Ultimately, good planning and proper crewing and a proper fatigue risk management plan prevent incidents like these from occurring. Use AMSA’s fatigue risk management checklist to help you identify fatigue risks. Consult with master and crew to develop controls, update your fatigue risk management plan and implement and monitor controls every journey.
Managing the risk of fatigue
So now that we've discussed what fatigue is, how it affects crew, why and when it is more likely to happen, let's talk about who is responsible for managing fatigue risks and what you need to do as vessel owners. You need to provide a safe and proper working environment, conditions, and provide resources to support appropriate rest and recovery time for master and crew. You also need to identify fatigue risks to the master and crew in consultation with them. Include the fatigue risks in the vessel risk assessment and incorporate that in the safety management system.
Throughout this process of identifying and controlling fatigue risks for your operation, you must consult and work with the master and crew to develop the fatigue risk management plan. And once the plan is developed, implement the plan, train the crew, identify and monitor the controls to ensure that they are fit for purpose and still effective.
A written plan stored on a shelf is of no use unless it is read, understood and used by everyone. Fatigue risk management is a mandatory requirement and it's not optional.
Generally, the single most important factor to consider in better managing the risk of fatigue is getting enough sleep. People generally need 7 to 9 hours of good quality sleep to perform effectively. Anything else is a compromise. Another factor is time awake. The longer a seafarer remains awake, the stronger the drive is for sleep and the higher the levels of fatigue. Long hours are associated with poor performance and poorer safety and health outcomes. How far you have to commute to work is also important to consider. Many seafarers have to travel or drive long distances to the vessel and then have to work a shift, affecting their quantity and quality of sleep. And also ask yourself, do you have sufficient crew to do the job?
Scenario 1
Now that we've covered what fatigue is, how to recognise it, common causes and consequences, let's now look at some practical steps to develop your risk assessment to address fatigue risks. We will look at 2 scenarios.
The first one is a larger vessel in operations, and the steps they take to identify fatigue risks and develop controls. This particular scenario looks at a 16 metre class 3 fishing vessel that operates 100 nautical miles off the coast. And it spends between 21 and 28 days at sea at a time. The owner consulted with the master and crew to identify their key fatigue risks, which were lack of sleep. They generally get less than 7 hours per night. They work long shifts, 12 plus hours per day. Crew arrive to work fatigued, from home pressures or having a second job. And they consistently work at night from midnight to 6am. And it's also physically demanding work.
In the example format shown in the slide, the key risks that the owner, master and crew identified have been listed in the risks column. And this is just an example of a simple risk assessment. You can choose another format to suit your level of operational complexity, but if you don't have one already, you can use this as a place to start your risk assessment. The link to the checklist has been added to the chat.
Let's take a look at one of the identified risks, lack of sleep. Under the controls column, they have listed how it could be controlled. The next column states who is responsible for tasks and actions. And the last column is where you can list any observations and notes about any issues with the controls or further information.
By systematically applying this to each risk, you can complete your fatigue risk assessment, which you can then use to help you develop your fatigue risk management plan. Again, this is just a simple example of how to conduct a risk assessment and may not suit your particular operation, but it could be a place to start the process.
Now that you've completed the risk assessment, you can now develop the fatigue risk management plan. And that means you will outline how fatigue is controlled and managed in your operational vessel. Go to the AMSA fatigue website for examples of fatigue risk management plans.
But the things to consider in your plan is ensure there are adequate rest and sleep opportunities, plan work to avoid excessive fatigue, schedule in breaks, avoid night work where possible, provide suitable sleeping conditions. Everyone needs to know the plan, train the crew to recognise and report fatigue.
While assessing fatigue risks, you may need to update other parts of your safety management system to address and control these risks, such as appropriate crewing. For example, how many suitably qualified crew are required to undertake operational activities? Include watchkeeping and lookout duties, planning of work schedules, and do you have vessel operational procedures in place.
An example, if a crew member is working during the night between 2am and 6am, you may consider a number of controls such as ensuring the crew have adequate fatigue training and awareness so they understand the risks, limiting the number of hours they are required to work at night, planning for a minimum of two crew members together on deck or on navigational watch or ensuring crew are fit for duty by providing adequate time for sleep, seven or more hours, prior to commencing this duty period.
Scenario 2
Scenario 2 looks at a smaller, less complex operation and may only require a short fatigue management plan as seen on the screen.
A short plan is still effective in documenting the risks and controls in a concise plan.
In this particular example, we look at a 4.6 meter class 2 fishing tour vessel. Its operation takes clients on half day fishing charters in local rivers. The key fatigue risks they have identified is that they work between 10 to 12 hours a day in daylight hours, crew travel less than an hour to get to work, and they generally work between 5 to 6 days per week. This particular example shows that the fatigue risk management plan needs only to consist of a few concise sentences that explain how they will manage their fatigue risks applicable to their operation. They write, I understand the causes and consequences of fatigue. My total hours worked will not exceed 12 hours during the day. My commute time is usually 40 minutes to and from port and home. And I allocate sufficient sleep time 7 to 9 hours per night before each charter. And if I work excess hours of more than 14 hours, allow for a longer recovery period.
Now that we've identified the risks of fatigue, developed controls and created the fatigue risk management plan and have implemented this in practice on board your vessels, you need to monitor and review the plan to ensure it is still fit for purpose.
Ask yourself and the crew these questions. Is the master and crew getting enough sleep? Are there any sleep disorders or distractions affecting the crew's sleep? Are crew communicating fatigue issues to master when things change? Do you review incidents and near misses where fatigue is a cause or factor? And are the controls still working? Is the plan still working effectively to control fatigue risks, or does it need amending? If the answer to this is yes, you will need to update the fatigue risk management plan and then update the SMS when the risks for operation change.
AMSA resources
AMSA has many resources available on our website that provides you with more information, tools, checklists, example scenarios. And you will be able to download a copy of this presentation with the links shown in the slide that will take you directly to those pages. So don't worry if you have not clicked on any of the links in the chat.
They are still available on this slide. You will receive a copy of this presentation and all links by e-mail shortly after this webinar.
That brings an end to the presentation part of this webinar. Now I would like to bring in our Q&A panel to answer some of your questions posted in the chat. I welcome Dr. Michelle Grech and Jo Ng. Let's look at our first question.
Questions and answers
27:52
Ng, Joanne
Thank you, Anita. Hi, everyone. I'm Joanne Ng, Human Factors Advisor, and we have Dr. Michelle Greg, Manager of Vessel Operations, who is joining us in this Q&A to answer some of your questions that you have posted. I'll read out some of these questions now.
How should fatigue be managed in emergency situations?
It's important to understand that fatigue affects individual regardless of the situations that they're in.
And there is actually a higher risk of injuries, particularly in emergency situations. Therefore, it is important to identify all reasonably foreseeable fatigue hazard and associated risk, and then include that as part of the emergency preparedness.
28:43
Grech, Michelle:
The other thing I wanted to add on this one is that emergency preparedness is actually an important requirement under Marine Order 504. So fatigue hazards and how emergencies impact fatigue or crew fatigue need to be considered and included as part of the risk assessment.
How are operators expected to handle fatigue risk when crew shortages limit options for rostering or relief?
29:04
Ng, Joanne:
This should be considered as part of your fatigue risk management plan so that you're able to consider the appropriate controls for your operations. Depending on your nature of operation, you could, for example, look to avoid assigning critical tasks during the night, especially between the hours of 2 to 6, potentially reviewing your voyage plans, including identification of potential safe anchorage locations to allow master and crew to rest.
So whatever you consider is you need to make sure that your crew are fit for duty and have sufficient sleep prior to commencing the duty period.
And at all times, it is important to ensure that you do not operate below the minimum number of crew as detailed in your appropriate crewing determination.
30:09
Grech, Michelle:
Adequate resourcing, basically the number of crew and their qualifications required to operate the vessel, safety is actually a primary consideration in measuring the risk of fatigue. So it's kind of the top of the control measure. So it is important that owners, operators provide adequate support in terms of adequate resourcing and managing the risk of fatigue.
What does AMSA classify as “work” and “rest”?
30:38
Ng, Joanne:
While the term work is not defined in a national law or in the model WHS law, it is reasonable to take it as is, so meaning the word of the word, so to carry out activities for business or the operator. And rest just means that, that meaning a period of time where your crew member is not performing duties and function. Except in case of emergency.
31:12
Grech, Michelle:
Rest is a really important consideration because it's one element of the control measures in relation to providing the crew time to be able to recover, because that's when they're actually able to recover from fatigue. As we know, fatigue is cumulative and the rest time is an important aspect. So it's important that it is protected at all times. And that could be potentially part of the policies that the operator and the owner would put together in relation to what this looks like for the crew.
Do I need to consult with the master improvement developing my fatigue management plan?
31:47
Ng, Joanne:
It is an important part of the vessel's risk assessment and must be developed in review and consultation with your crew and the master. Different crew members will potentially be exposed to different fatigue risks. Therefore, it is important for the owner operator to consult with those who are likely to be directly affected. So good leadership and safety culture actually promotes open discussions about fatigue, which in turn help owner and operators better understand, and manage fatigue risk. In doing so as well, you can educate your crew member about signs of fatigue, the importance of rest as well.
32:36
Grech, Michelle:
This is important as well, because ensuring that your crew are also familiar with your plan means that they understand what's in that plan. And if things don't go to plan, then you would expect, and potentially it's part of the policy, that the crew would be able to come back and identify some of those issues. Because the plan may say,
I'm going to provide you with this opportunity for sleep, for example, but for some reason, they may not have gotten the sleep quality that they needed. And therefore, you want those crew to come back and provide that feedback loop. So that's an important aspect of that consultation and feedback loop, which is kind of the aspect, which is in the SMS.
How can crew raise fatigue concerns without worrying about job security or being seen as unreliable? Workers may be into self-report fatigue? How is AMSA working with operators to encourage self-reporting and what can be done to improve just culture in this industry?
33:21
Ng, Joanne:
It is important that the operator sets the right safety culture to encourage crew to report back safety issues. With a strong safety culture, the crew are more likely to report fatigue if they are comfortable discussing that with the operator and the master. So in doing so, you're able to actually identify and manage risk more effectively.
34:17
Grech, Michelle:
Safety culture first and foremost comes from the owners operator. So they need to set the safety culture on board their particular vessel and they need to make sure that crew feel comfortable enough to come back and report any issues in relation to fatigue. The other component in that particular question is in relation to how can, so we are actually working with owners, operators and developing the right tools for them to have. The other possibilities that crew can report directly to AMSA, but I think the best approach is for the owners and operators to set the right scene and safety culture to ensure that there's that feedback loop within the operators or the owners. So that means that the whole system is working as it should and have that continuous improvement element associated with that particular plan.
What are your thoughts on biomedical algorithms and modelling such as inter-dynamics and fate?
35:26
Grech, Michelle:
Yeah, so obviously planning work schedules based on fatigue science and operational requirements allows an element of predictive identification of fatigue and its hazards and in turn it allows or assists in allocating adequate rest periods and sufficient opportunity for sleep. So biomathematical model tools, also known as fatigue predictive software tools, are useful and can be used to predict fatigue levels for specific operations and manage the risk of fatigues. However, they do have limitations and the owner operator who uses those tools need to understand those particular limitations because they are not to be used in isolation. They need to be used with other operational data and they should not be the main drivers for scheduling decisions. However, they're good for planning and in any plan, things can go wrong. So you need to make sure that you have that kind of feedback loop in order to identify where that predictive tool hasn't got it quite right. The other thing I wanted to mention as well is there are actually more simple tools than using software just in case people get a bit scared about, oh, do I have to use a predictive modelling tools? AMSA have developed some simple tools that you can actually use to support work scheduling, where it identifies where the risk of fatigue may become high. For example, if people are working longer periods of time or people are not sleeping enough. So those are available on our website, so we can actually provide that link later.
Why is AMSA continuing to approve 2 watch keepers for voyages in spite of many vessels clearly able to carry more crew, which leads to 12 hour watch keeping with only one person on the bridge? How will AMSA protect seafarers from losing their position for refusing to sail? Most of the delivery voyages internationally on small Australian flag voyages are still being approved with two watch keepers. I believe that 12 days of 12 hours watches broken into 8th floor watch rotation.
37:49
Grech, Michelle:
If you look at the Marine Order 504, it sets out the minimum requirement by vessel length. However, the requirement is also to ensure that the owners operators put together an appropriate Crewing assessment. So basically, they need to make sure that they have the right number. And appropriate qualified crew to manage their operations safely. And that must also consider fatigue. So ultimately, although AMSA does not approve near coastal Crewing assessments, we only do that for larger vessels, the operator is responsible to make sure that they do that Crewing assessment. So what's in the marine order is the minimum requirement per vessel length and appropriate Crewing assessment still needs to be carried out and considering the risk of fatigue. So that's an important consideration.
Can energy producing medication or supplements such as No-Doz reverse effects of fatigue?
38:59
Grech, Michelle:
I think they're going to have to go to a health expert on that one. When we look at aspects such as caffeine or other stimulants being used for the management of fatigue, there are some instances where that's done, but that needs to be done with caution because stimulants and caffeine have other side effects. So even if used, for example, a couple of hours before you actually plan to go to sleep, it can impact your sleep pattern. So our suggestion is those particular type of questions would be better discussed with a health specialist in relation to what they do to that particular individual.
39:40
Ng, Joanne:
Yes, we are different in terms of how we actually take and handle medication. So it's really important to actually speak to your general practitioner about that as well.
What is AMSA doing to ensure companies comply with NSCV Part c-section 1, Chapter 4, Table 4, as companies are known to expect crew to have their breaks on board vessel that do not arrive at shore base facility for the appropriate length of time to allow crew to have their breaks ashore while the crew vessels do not meet the requirements?
40:25
Grech, Michelle:
I won't comment on the NSCV Part C section, mainly because I don't have the specifics of those particular case. But what I want to mention is that the aspect of having a healthy vessel environment is an important consideration in relation to fatigue risk assessment . That also includes ensuring that the crew have adequate facilities to rest and recover while at sea. If it's a longer period of time, they would need somewhere where to have a place where it's conducive for sleep. So that's an important consideration in relation to the control measures that need to be put in place to manage the risk of fatigue. So the accommodation standards need to be appropriate.
41:10
Ng, Joanne:
Regardless of that, I think it's really important that fatigue risk is actually considered
So especially if they're going to be out for a prolonged period, like Michelle mentioned, then they actually need to sleep as well. So they do need to consider that as part of control measures.
What if a vessel has a fatigue risk management plan that is outdated due to the change in operations? Should the fatigue management plan be updated every time there is a change in operations? Are there rules under AMSA to enforce this?
41:50
Grech, Michelle:
Under Marine Order 504, there is a requirement for you to review your safety management system when things change or the risks changes. And that's what you need to look at when you're actually changing your operation. So you need to look at that risk profile. And that would potentially require you to update your safety measurement system. But on the same token, it might need you to revisit your fatigue risk management plan.
A self-administered risk assessment seems like a weak fatigue risk management tool. We have been told for years that hours of work and rest are critical on RAV, yet there are no limits on hours of work for DCV seafarers. Is the health and safety on domestic seafarers less important.
42:49
Grech, Michelle:
No, it's not less important. There's different regulatory requirements. Just because there's minimum hours of work and rest in the international fleet, it doesn't mean that they are managing fatigue. We've gone down the path of creating a more flexible approach in the DCV sector because we can do that. And that provides the operator and the owner and the crew more opportunities to actually put more flexible fatigue risk management plans in place, but at the same time, meeting the science elements that Anita was talking about today as part of her presentation. So that's really important to note.
Is there any resources to assist with managing fatigue, taking into account different operational profiles of vessels and crew?
44:01
Grech, Michelle:
Anita during her presentation actually provided some examples. Now, my suggestion is if there's any particular or any people in the audience here today who want to have further examples, which we've provided on our website for certain vessel types and operation. We'll happily look at that and provide further examples and templates. So please provide us your feedback and any other information you think is important for you to be able to have and consider as part of putting together your fatigue risk management plan.
How does AMSA envision fatigue being managed in a 24-7 operation with little room for fatigue during a shift 12 to 13 hours in length?
44:56
Grech, Michelle:
That's a very good question because ultimately we're an industry that operates on a 24-7 operation. And to some extent, the concept of having a risk management approach means that there is consideration of how fatigue or fatigue science is understood in relation to operating in a 24-7 environment. Hence, the fatigue risk management plan is important to consider that in terms of how schedules are being allocated and what's being considered in those schedules and the hours that people are working, all considerations that Anita mentioned in her presentation in relation to how those are allocated and what the risks are. But also an important consideration is what people are doing when that risk is high, because that's when you need to make sure that those control measures are adequate to ensure that you capture those particular issues that are potentially anticipated as part of your fatigue risk management plan.
46:02
Ng, Joanne:
Yes, it is really important, like both Michelle and Anita touched on as well. It's really important to plan ahead, identify all the potential reasonable, foreseeable hazards as well that would affect your crew and having that conversation and having ability to consult with them is also a really important step.
These are all very good questions and thank you everyone for taking the time to post this. Unfortunately, we don't have time to answer the rest. But for the other questions that we are unable to answer today, we will address them separately, which will be on our website.
Alright, I will now hand it over back to Anita to close out the webinar session.
46:51
Markovski, Anita:
Thank you, Michelle, and thank you, Jo, for being on our panel today. And this brings us to the end of today's webinar. But before you leave, we'd also really appreciate if you could take a few minutes to complete the short survey in the chat.
Your feedback helps us improve our webinars and make sure we're covering the topics that matter to you most. It only takes a few minutes and helps shape our future webinars.
That brings us to the end of today's webinar. Thank you to everyone who took the time to join us for your engagement and throughout the session. We hope you found the discussion useful and the information shared today valuable in your work. We hope to see you at the next one. Bye for now.