QUEENSLAND Rail is proposing allowing its train drivers to take naps while coal is being loaded onto their vehicles, in an effort to improve working safety.
The Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said driver fatigue had arisen as a serious issue on the long coal train lines. She stressed the rest break solution is still under consideration.
Coal loading typically takes around four or five hours, during which the train moves at less than one kilometre per hour.
The unions responded, claiming these rest breaks would not constitute the be-all and end-all of fatigue management. They are pushing for more workable rosters as the basis for resolving the problem.
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