Fitness for Work Policy

Purpose. Sets the requirements for workers to be fit for work with respect to fatigue, alcohol and other drugs, health conditions and heat, given the hazards of mobile plant, cranes and rotating machinery.

1.Policy statement

Every person at an Apex site must be fit to perform their work safely. Fitness for work covers fatigue, alcohol and other drugs, health conditions and medication, and heat stress. Workers must present for work fit and must tell their supervisor if anything changes during the shift.

2.Alcohol and other drugs

Apex sites are alcohol and drug free workplaces. A worker must not attend work with a blood alcohol concentration above zero or under the influence of a drug that impairs performance. Testing will be carried out at random, after an incident and where there is reasonable cause. A non-negative result will result in the worker being stood down from safety critical work until a confirmed result is available.

3.Fatigue

Shift rosters must comply with the fatigue limits in the roster procedure. A worker must not work more than 12 hours in a shift or more than 14 hours including travel without approval from the department manager. Supervisors must assess any worker who reports fatigue and must remove them from mobile plant, crane and machine operation if they are not fit.

• Maximum 12 hours worked in one shift
• Minimum 10 hours break between shifts
• Maximum six consecutive night shifts
• Fatigue self-assessment at the start of every night shift

4.Heat

Bundamba and Townsville operate a heat management plan from October to March. Supervisors must monitor the forecast, schedule heavy work for cooler hours where practicable, provide shade and cool water and enforce rest breaks. Workers must report symptoms of heat illness immediately and will be stood down to recover.

5.Medication and health conditions

A worker taking medication that carries a warning about operating machinery must inform their supervisor before starting work. A worker with a health condition that affects their ability to work safely will be supported to work in a suitable role while the condition is managed. Health information will be handled confidentially in line with the privacy procedure.

6.Responsibilities

Managers must apply this policy consistently and must support workers who raise fitness concerns. Supervisors must observe their team at the start of each shift and act on signs of impairment. Workers must comply with testing and must not cover for a colleague who is unfit.