Fatigue Risk Management for Contractors Fact Sheet

​​Fatigue Risk Management – information for contractors

The health, safety and wellbeing of employees, contractors, consultants, business customers, business visitors and volunteers on Queensland Rail worksites is of paramount importance to Queensland Rail.

Everyone has a right to be safe at a Queensland Rail workplace.

The Queensland Rail Fatigue Risk Management Program aims to minimise fatigue risk so far as is reasonably practicable and in accordance with the requirements under the Rail Safety National Law and National Regulations 2012.

Queensland Rail defines fatigue as feelings of tiredness and the reduced ability to perform mental and physical tasks which affect a worker’s fitness for work. Fatigue has a range of causes, both work related and non-work related.

Queensland Rail defines fatigue as feelings of tiredness and the reduced ability to perform mental and physical tasks which affect a worker’s fitness for work. Fatigue has a range of causes, both work related and non-work related. 

Contractors have a responsibility to eliminate or minimise, so far as is reasonably practicable, work related causes of fatigue and consider in its management strategies those causes of fatigue that are nonwork related. Contractor’s workers have a responsibility to ensure they manage non-work related causes of fatigue and to minimise their fatigue risk at Queensland Rail work sites.​

Does the Standard apply to me?

The Queensland Rail Fatigue Risk Management Standard applies to: 

  • All Queensland Rail workers including employees, contractors, volunteers 
  • All workers conducting rail safety work under Queensland Rail’s Rail Transport Operator accreditation. 

The Standard does not apply to Principal Contractors who are not performing rail safety work under Queensland Rail’s Rail Transport Operator accreditation. ​

What are the rostering requirements? 

The following rostering controls are mandatory minimum requirements for all workers including employees, contractors and volunteers undertaking work on behalf of Queensland Rail, and for any other workers undertaking rail safety work under Queensland Rail’s Rail Transport Operator accreditation. All planned and actual work schedules will comply with the following Queensland Rail hours of work principles unless otherwise stipulated in this Standard.​

Hours of work – other workers 

All planned and actual work schedules will comply with the following Queensland Rail hours of work principles unless otherwise stipulated in this Standard.

  1. maximum shift length must not exceed 12 hours 
  2. minimum break between shifts must not be less than 12 hours 
  3. maximum number of consecutive days worked shall not exceed 12​
  4. maximum overtime shall not exceed 40 hours in 14 days

Additional rostering requirements 

For contractors performing rail safety work and/or shift work and all external parties conducting rail safety work under Queensland Rail’s Rail Transport Operator accreditation the following must apply: 
  • Comply with the application of FAID  
  • If it is not reasonably practicable to comply with the application of FAID, then the provisions of the “Good practice roster guideline” are mandatory.
Application of FAID ​
All planned and actual work rosters performing shift work and all workers (including employees, contractors and volunteers) performing rail safety work under Queensland Rail’s Rail Transport Operator accreditation must be analysed using FAID. This includes shift changes, shift swaps, extended and unplanned shifts. 
Queensland Rail’s FAID tolerability Framework is as follows:​

​Risk Zone

​FAID Score

​Green Zone (broadly acceptable) 
​0 - 79
​Yellow Zone (Acceptable with demonstrable risk assessment) 
​80 - 100
​Red Zone (unacceptable)
​​>100​


FAID scores in the Green Zone are considered to provide adequate sleep opportunity and all reasonable steps should be taken to ensure all rosters fall within this range. 

FAID scores in the Yellow Zone are considered to provide an increased fatigue risk as the sleep opportunity is limited. A documented risk assessment must be completed and approved by the Queensland Rail contractor manager before workers can operate in the Yellow Zone. 

FAID scores in the Red Zone are considered to provide an unacceptable sleep opportunity. Shifts in the Red Zone must only be worked in an emergency or unplanned event, or where the risk of fatigue is outweighed by the risk of heat stress, and where no other reasonable option to relieve the worker or amend the roster is available. Approval of shifts in the Red Zone must be accompanied by a Fatigue Risk Assessment and signed off by the relevant General Manager/ contracting manager.

​What education and training is relevant to me? 

Rail safety workers, high risk workers and shift workers, including contractors, must complete TLIF2010A Apply Fatigue Management Strategies. Formal competency requirements must be obtained from a Registered Training Organisation.  ​

What are the good practice roster guidelines? 

The good practice rostering guideline has been developed to provide guidance in developing optimal rostering practices and to assist in managing the risk of fatigue. The guidelines have been developed based on industry guidance material, case studies and fatigue science literature. Refer to Appendix 4 of the MD-10-178 Fatigue Risk Management Standard. ​