White paper: Wake- up....Driver Fatigue (and Distraction)- Enclosed Cabins of Fixed and Mobile Plant    08-Jul-17

Operators, Regulators, Authorities-acknowledge the inherent risks of Driver Fatigue (and Distraction), as implicated in approximately 60% of Mining accidents and up to 30% of road crashes related to On- Road Transport. The Federal Government (2017) estimates road crashes cost the Australian economy $27 billion / annum.

Drivers of Mobile Plant / Vehicles (even Trucks and Light Vehicles), operate within Enclosed Cabins and so there are many additional Fatigue (Distraction) effects upon them that may not necessarily compromise Safety (Health) for workers in an Open Environment / Low Risk tasking.

There are many reasons for Driver Fatigue but a significant cause that seems to have been over- looked is in relation to Ventilation / Co2 (natural respiration) that has proven to contribute to Fatigue in Enclosed Cabins of Fixed and Mobile Plant.

There have been many Studies completed over the years that substantiate the effects of Fatigue as a result of incorrect use of Air- conditioning and blockage of External Filters. Both these conditions restrict the entry of adequate Fresh Air (Ventilation) into the Driver / Operators Cabin to offset Co2 Concentration. Also in such conditions, Cabin Pressurisation will become negative and "suck" in contaminated external Airborne Particulate / Contamination into the Cabin along with Traffic / Exhaust Toxins.

Even as far back as 1999 a report was submitted by the Australian Automotive Association to the Legislative House of Representatives Committee into Fatigue Management in Transport. The report (18 years ago) stated that “work completed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) on vehicle run off accidents may point to oxygen factor in otherwise unexplained accidents where they found that the HVAC was switched to Recirculation Mode in more than 33% of examined cases- crashes”.  

Some aspects to consider are:

• Cabins (Fixed and Mobile Plant) are better sealed to improve thermal conditions, noise and restrict entry of contamination- they are made "tighter than a drum".
• Mobile Plant Cabins are no longer manufactured with windows that can be opened. 
• Fixed Plant Cabins no longer utilises a "wall rattler" HVAC System that could be opened to provide external / fresh air supply. Instead they are designed for 100% Recirculation Air- which means no external fresh air supply.
• Even modern Sleeping Accommodations, Maintenance Offices, etc are using Split HVAC Systems that do not supply Fresh  / External Air for Ventilation to off- set Co2.
• According to AIRAH upto 20 L/sec of Ventilation Air (Cabin leakage) must exit the Cabin / Room for each Occupant to off- set Co2.
• The whitepaper also discusses the difference between Workers Fatigue and Driver Fatigue and that of High Risk and Low Risk tasks.

Hyperlinks to references Statistics, Reports, Standards, Guidelines, Organisations, etc are embedded in the whitepaper for substantiation.

See these links:

• News Articles on our DFM Camera Systems.
• Information on our DFM Camera and FSM Telematics Technology.
• Australian Automotive Association to the Legislative House of Representatives Committee (1999)- Fatigue Management Transport- 1999.
• For more information please Contact us.