1176 Fatigue Risk Management Program Increases Sleep and Alertness in Firefighters

Associations between sleep disturbances, mental health outcomes and burnout in firefighters, and the mediating role of sleep during overnight work: A cross‐sectional study

“…For instance, fire department policies that encourage sleep (e.g. permitting and encouraging napping, black‐out shades for sleep quarters) may increase firefighters’ sleep at work (Barger et al., ). Modifying shift schedules should be a primary strategy to improve the opportunity for sleep and lower burnout risk; however, this was not the focus of the present study.…”

How effective are Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS)? A review

“…Of the relevant documents, 92 (40%) provided purely descriptive information and/or regulatory advice/guidelines, while the remaining documents present information addressing certain components of FRMS. Of the documents that present an evaluation of an entire fatigue management system, several (n = 5) provided an evaluation of FRMS or fatigue management programs (FMP) as a whole ( Barger et al, 2017 ; Dara, 2019 ; Fourie et al, 2010 ; Lamp et al, 2019 ; Smiley et al, 2010 ). Based on the issues identified above regarding the classification of systems as FRMS (i.e., where some systems are self-described as FRMS, but do not include fatigue risk assessment processes), we have included both FRMS (which include a fatigue risk assessment component) and fatigue management plans (which, while including certain aspects of FRMS, do not include a risk assessment component).…”

“…As such, not all of these five documents address all FRMS components – but instead provide evaluation of fatigue management programs and/or systems. In particular, a risk assessment framework (arguably the core component of FRMS) was either was not evaluated ( Smiley et al, 2010 ), or was not explicitly included in the document ( Barger et al, 2017 ; Dara, 2019 ). Just two documents included this critical risk assessment component of FRMS ( Fourie et al, 2010 ; Lamp et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Of the five documents that provided FRMS or FMP evaluation, three report data pre- and post- FRMS/FMP implementation. Data are presented in different employee populations, including firefighters ( Barger et al, 2017 ), nurses ( Dara, 2019 ), and professional drivers ( Smiley et al, 2010 ). The study performed with Australian firefighters included the random allocation of fire stations to either a fatigue risk management program or no additional program ( Barger et al, 2017 ).…”

Fatigue Risk Management Systems Diagnostic Tool: Validation of an Organizational Assessment Tool for Shift Work Organizations

“…However, some studies have identified improvements in safety outcomes when elements of an FRMS are implemented, suggesting that complete implementation may also be beneficial [ 11 ]. For example, a randomized control trial to determine the efficacy of a fatigue risk management program for firefighters, that included education, sleep disorder screening, a napping policy, and the installation of black-out window coverings for sleep quarters, reported significant improvements in self-reported sleep quality as compared to the control group with no intervention [ 22 ]. However, given that the evidence on the elements required as part of a complete FRMS is unclear, it is first necessary to define these elements prior to assessing overall system effectiveness.…”