News & Announcements

Energy industry addresses issue of rising workplace fatigue with launch of guiding principles

September 9, 2013

CALGARY– The energy industry took a significant step today to address the issue of rising workplace fatigue with the official launch of a set of guiding principles, the Fatigue Risk Management Guiding Principles. Six industry associations applied their stamp of approval to the document which represents a foundation for advancing awareness and mitigating the risks.

"Compounded by the labour shortage, fatigue is a growing safety issue in the workplace," said Enform President and CEO Cameron MacGillivray. "Today's launch is an important first step - it represents an industry consensus and recognition that managing the risks associated with fatigue is a top priority and a shared responsibility."

According to Alberta Human Services, fatigue has a similar impairment effect as alcohol on workers. After 20 hours of sustained wakefulness, a worker may be as functionally impaired as someone with a high blood alcohol concentration.

Enform, the safety association for Canada’s upstream industry, and its six industry association partners, agreed to create a set of principles as a first step towards a larger awareness-raising campaign, the development of industry tools and resources and the redevelopment of Enform's Employers Guide to Designing and Implementing a Fatigue Management Program.