Primary Metals

Even with state of the art equipment, primary metals operations still have some of the most demanding jobs in industry today. Work load plus heat and humidity have kept most of the industry operating with shorter 8 hour schedules. Though the shorter shift makes sense on the surface, it can require operators to work twice as many days per year than employees in other industries that work 12-hour shifts.

Challenges

• Understanding that upgrades to capital equipment can actually increase worker fatigue through longer campaigns that add work days to the year.
• Providing modern shift schedules that can attract and keep younger employees, while still providing required operational coverage. Studies indicate that the new workforce is looking for jobs that maximise family and social time.
• Managing the unique physiological and sociological stresses placed on primary metals employees by working rotating schedules (Days – Evenings – Nights) in a 24/7 industry.
• Safeguarding the facility from errors of inattention caused by excess fatigue. Consider that as the cost of capital continues to escalate and staffing levels remain constant or drop, the potential adverse effect of any individual misstep is much higher now than ever.

How CIRCADIAN AUSTRALIA can help you:

For over 27 years CIRCADIAN has assisted the industry to resolve these challenges.  We provide:

• Shift Schedule Optimisation - A unique approach to involve all concerned in designing the best schedule for the specific requirements of each workforce in each mill.
• Staffing Level Analysis – Scientific review of optimal employee deployment considering job requirements, length of operating campaigns,  skill sets, financial constraints and human design characteristics and limitations
• Managing a Shift Work Lifestyle - A means of providing the shift workers and their families with a useable understanding of how the body functions in a 24/7 world and to provide proven tips and countermeasures to get the most out of life.
• Fatigue Training Online™ – The premier online fatigue management training program for the 24/7 workforce. This web-based system offers specialised training programs providing workers with practical solutions to maintain altertness, productivity, safety and high performance on-duty and get better sleep off-duty.
• Fatigue Risk Assessment - Understand the potential costs, risks and liabilities created by staffing levels, workloads and overall policies and procedures pertaining to this unique 24/7 industry.