Nelson Bodnarchuk

Fatigue is one of the most significant issues that companies face in every industry, but it’s also the one that people don't think about as a serious problem because most of us feel tired every day. A deeper look at the causes of incidents notably shows worker fatigue as one of the most common human factors named by individuals and it affects safety, quality, and productivity. This session will reveal what the research shows in terms of best practices for scheduling, shift structure, and even staffing to help avoid problems stemming from an excessively tired workforce and examine emerging technologies that can help identify at-risk individuals during the work shift. It will also uncover how the individual worker reduces the likelihood of injury by developing skills including self-triggering when the state of fatigue is elevated and maintaining good sleep habits.

Rarely is a fatal incident a “freak accident” or “bad luck”—they occur when a known control is skipped or fails. The construction, energy, and mining industries have been on a decades-long journey to achieve zero harm, where workplaces are free of fatalities and serious injuries but plateaued progress and persisting fatal injuries indicate there’s still a long way to go in achieving the collective mission. By integrating the social and technical aspects of a safety system, it’s possible to drive improved performance in all aspects of the company. This session will provide a real-life account of the Torex Gold, Morelos Complex HS Journey case study to achieve zero harm, followed by a breakout activity where participants develop high-level plans to implement the routines necessary to create a work environment where every brain is in the game, and people are thinking about personal safety at work, home, and in between.