Manage fatigue risk, and show how you did it.
RosterWise helps managers review working patterns, understand why a shift has been flagged and keep a record of what they decided.
Your duty as an employer
Fatigue is a workplace hazard like any other. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA, section 2), employers must protect their employees’ health and safety as far as is reasonably practicable. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (regulation 3) require a risk assessment, and that includes fatigue in shift work.
The Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) set limits on rest, night work and weekly hours. But HSE (the Health and Safety Executive) is clear that keeping to them alone isn’t enough to manage fatigue risk. Source: HSE
How RosterWise helps
- Review working patterns. Every roster is checked the same way: rest between shifts, nights, long shifts, runs of days and weekly hours.
- Understand flagged issues. Each flagged shift shows the reason, the reference it was checked against and the shift times behind it.
- Record decisions. Each decision is kept with the reason, who made it and when. Records aren’t overwritten by later decisions.
What the software checks, and what you decide.
RosterWise checks
- The shift times in the roster you upload
- Five working patterns, against stated references
- Where information is missing, so it isn’t shown as fine
You decide
- Whether a flagged shift is acceptable, and what to change
- Your risk assessment and your fatigue policy
- Anything the roster can’t show: workload, travel, second jobs, health and how people say they feel
Rules by sector
The main rules on working time and fatigue. RosterWise checks the general patterns; it doesn’t check sector-specific limits.
| Sector | Main rules | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| All employers | HSWA section 2; Management Regulations 1999, regulation 3; WTR 1998 | HSE and local authorities |
| Road transport | Drivers’ hours rules (assimilated Regulation (EC) 561/2006); Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005 | DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) |
| Rail | ROGS 2006 (Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations), regulation 25; ORR guidance on managing staff fatigue | ORR (Office of Rail and Road) |
| Aviation | Flight time limitations for crew (UK Regulation (EU) 965/2012); WTR 1998 for ground staff | CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) for crew |
| Nuclear | Site licence conditions 12, 26 and 36; ONR guidance NS-TAST-GD-061 | ONR (Office for Nuclear Regulation) |
| Healthcare | WTR 1998; CQC regulation 18 (staffing); resident doctors’ contract safeguards in England | CQC (Care Quality Commission) and HSE |
| Manufacturing | HSWA section 2; Management Regulations 1999; WTR 1998 | HSE |
When fatigue isn’t assessed
In 2020, rail contractor Renown Consultants was fined £450,000, plus £300,000 costs, after two workers died in a road crash in 2013 while driving home after a night shift. It was ORR’s first prosecution for fatigue management. The company had no suitable risk assessment and didn’t follow its own fatigue procedures. Source: ORR
What we don’t promise
- RosterWise doesn’t certify compliance or give legal advice.
- No regulator has approved or endorsed RosterWise.
- A roster with no flagged shifts isn’t proof that it is safe.
Talk to us about your fatigue policy.
Tell us how you manage fatigue today, and we’ll show you where RosterWise fits.