Project: Evaluate and manage driver fatigue to prevent accidents

After using some trial and error systems for reviewing driver fatigue that didn’t reflect the experience of mining operations, Australian metal mining and exploration company, Perilya, discovered Optalert. Some interesting results emerged from the trial, which involved around 12 drivers. The trial allowed Perilya to gather hard data to indicate that their drivers are not suffering from fatigue and their roster was suitable. The Optalert Fatigue Risk Profiler system detects the early onset of drowsiness during a journey by accurately measuring a person’s level of alertness.

“Interestingly we find the drivers regularly discussing how many alarms they have had and comparing experiences after their shift. They use terms like ‘operating in the green’ with each other. Overall they are just more aware of their behaviour in the cab and of their fatigue levels,” said Tony Edwards, Perilya Safety and Emergency Services Superintendent.

Optalert technology works through tiny invisible light emitters and receivers built into the frame of the patented Optalert driving glasses, measuring the velocity of the driver’s eyelid 500 times per second. An alarm is sounded up to 30 minutes prior to sleepiness characteristics setting in.

The technology is a culmination of more than 15 years of research into the physiology of drowsiness by Optalert Founder and Chief Scientist, Dr Murray Johns, whose system has allowed a next-generation approach to the problem of fatigue control.

“The reading fluctuates through the course of the shift and is displayed on the dashboard as a 0 to 10 score. This score is then reported to the office.” One particular driver, who had two moderate alarms in one night, immediately called his manager to talk it over, Edwards added.

“This is exactly the sort of thing we were hoping to achieve. We knew our guys were good at what they did but we wanted to open the lines of communication and talk openly about safe driving and fatigue. They are very conscious of their Optalert number and are talking about fatigue more than ever.”

Perilya used a wide cross-section of the driving team in the trial, with ages ranging between 20 and 50 and a mix of male and female participants. The group was also comprised of drivers who had damaged equipment and some who had not.

Since the installation of Optalert, Perilya say they have had no damage to their trucks driven by drivers in the trial. Regardless of the driver safety training that all mining companies implement and the solid fatigue procedures that are in place, Perilya understands that there comes a point in everyone’s shift when they ‘hit the wall’. Optalert results show this to be at about 4.00 am, where readings indicate a slight rise in fatigue across the trial group.

“This pattern has allowed us to look closely at break times, yet the great news is they are never going into the red zone. I think that is a direct result of drivers being more conscious of what their bodies tell them. They may feel tired but they don’t get to fatigue, as Optalert won’t let them.”

The Perilya team have put in a focused effort to significantly drop their all injury frequency rate (AIFT), from 95 per million man hours worked three years ago, down to 12 injuries per million man-hours worked.

“We are typical of many mines, we operate large equipment in small spaces and whenever you have a 60 tonne machine in a 5 m x 5 m space there are real hazards. For us, safety success is all about managing that danger.

“Our main aim, for using the Optalert technology, is to look after our people. The financial gains will be realised as more time goes on, but at the end of the day if we look after our people, they will look after the business.”

And with 400 direct employees and 120 contractors on site, looking after their people is no small task. “The next step for Perilya is to work with Optalert on creating a mobile device that will enable the technology to monitor fatigue in a wider range of occupations such as service personnel, mill operators, remote control operators and security staff,” Edwards said.

“The biggest change in my career has been the safety shift, but the whole industry has learnt the hard way. We have gone from the days of very labour intensive mining, with real backbreaking work, to being highly mechanised. Back in the old days, there were 5500 people on the line at Broken Hill. Now we are down to one eighth of that,” said Edwards, who has been at the Broken Hill site for 34 years.