Fatigue Management and Process Safety

Overview

Fatigue is a hidden but significant contributor to incidents in oil, gas, petrochemical and energy operations. Long shifts, night work, extended turnarounds, travel and rotational schedules can reduce alertness, slow reaction times and impair judgement, increasing the risk of errors in control rooms, maintenance and driving. Several major process safety accidents have been linked in part to fatigued operators and supervisors. Managing fatigue is therefore not only a matter of personal wellbeing but a key element of process safety management and an important responsibility for employers, supervisors and individuals.

This course provides a practical understanding of fatigue and its management as part of process safety. Participants learn the science of sleep, circadian rhythms and alertness, the causes and signs of fatigue, and its effect on human performance and error. The course covers shift system design, working hours limits, overtime control and fatigue risk management systems, including risk assessment, monitoring and reporting. It also explains fatigue risks in control rooms, turnarounds, remote sites and driving, the role of supervisors in recognising and responding to fatigue, individual strategies for sleep and alertness, and lessons from major incidents linked to fatigue.

Objectives

• Explain sleep, circadian rhythms and the causes of fatigue
• Describe the effects of fatigue on human performance and error
• Evaluate shift systems, working hours and overtime from a fatigue viewpoint
• Develop and apply a fatigue risk management system
• Identify fatigue risks in control rooms, turnarounds, remote sites and driving
• Recognise signs of fatigue and respond correctly as a supervisor
• Apply personal strategies for sleep and alertness and learn from incidents

Who should attend

Training methodology

The course combines explanation of sleep science and fatigue risk management with practical analysis of real rosters, overtime records and incident reports. Participants assess shift patterns using fatigue risk tools, identify high-risk periods, and design improvements to schedules and controls. Self-assessment questionnaires help participants understand their own sleep and alertness. Role plays allow supervisors to practise conversations with fatigued workers. Case studies of major incidents linked to fatigue are analysed in groups. Each day ends with a short quiz and discussion of fatigue challenges in participants' operations.

Programme outline

Dates and fees

Certificate

Frequently asked questions