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40 Pallet C e nt ral • May -Ju ne 2 0 25 OSHA CONT. 10 consecutive hours off duty (under certain circumstances, there can be a 14-hour limit). FMSHRC regulations also require a 30-minute driving break when drivers have driven for a period of eight cumulative hours without at least a 30-minute interruption. e break may be satisfied by any non-driving period of 30 consecutive minutes (e.g., on-duty but not driving, off-duty, in the sleeping berth, or any combination thereof ). Fatigue can reduce focus, slow your reactions, and impair decision-making skills. However, it can be hard for employers to detect this for employees who are on the job. After 17 consecutive hours awake, impairment is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of 0.05—and a driver is beyond the equivalent of legally drunk after 24 hours awake. A recent survey reported by NIOSH found that 37% of workers get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep daily. ere are fatigue detection technologies available commercially—some are part of overall "fitness for duty" applications that also can detect drug and alcohol impairment (but do not constitute a drug test legally)—and incorporating these can be part of a comprehensive safety management approach. Before investing money in new technology to improve driver safety, consider the purpose of the technology and what it adds (or duplicates) to your existing data and devices. Ensure that any new technology in which you invest has research backing it up, and that it uses meaningful biometrics such as reaction time or eyelid droop. It is also important to consider reliability—especially in rural areas—if wireless connectivity is needed, or if the technology can be adversely affected by extreme temperatures and weather or by lighting conditions. e employer also needs to consider how quickly it desires notifications and other feedback for the driver, the company, or both. Compatibility with existing technology is also critical to reduce costs. e final obstacle to overcome is the human element: if drivers reject a technology and disable it or find it intrusive, bulky, or have data privacy concerns, other options may be needed.

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