We had the honor of Dr. Linda F. Martin PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM providing us with a technical review and opinion on our fatigue and alertness solutions PRISM and The AlertMeter® .
Below is the full review.
Technical Review and Opinion Memorandum
To: Predictive Safety
From: Linda F. Martin, PhD, CIH, CSP, CHMM
Date: February 21, 2022
Re: Technical Review and Professional Opinion: AlertMeter® and PRISM
Purpose of Review:
Evaluation of design methodology and functionality of the AlertMeter® and PRISM products.
Documents Reviewed:
- Research articles for predictive safety science used to design the methodology and functionality of the AlertMeter® and Prism products
- Peer-reviewed research articles on Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) and biomathematical predictive models for fatigue
- Predictive Safety documents summarizing quantitative and qualitative data collected during the use of AlertMeter® and PRISM products active work sites
- Predictive Safety internal documentation regarding fatigue analyses, gaming methods, and biomathematical modeling; and,
- Product documentation for both the AlertMeter® and Prism products.
Review:
The Predictive Safety AlertMeter® and PRISM product offerings belong to a class of workplace fatigue tools defined as FRMS. Generally, FRMS provide a data-driven set of management practices for identifying and managing fatigue-related safety risks. FRMS approaches consider sleep and work time and is based on ongoing risk assessment and monitoring.
Bio-mathematical models that predict fatigue have proved a useful addition to management strategies for fatigue-related risk (Dawson, Darwent & Roach, 2017). Circadian factors are primary components of the capabilities of successful FRMS biomathematical models, with 2 variations in the input into the models of sleep and work times, physical reaction times, and other proprietary input factors for prediction (Mallis, Mejdal, Nguyen & Dinges, 2004; Honn, Dongan & Dawson, 2019). When used in conjunction with organizational and worker commitment, workplace culture, and training, biomathematical predictive tools provide an exceptional assessment package for worker alertness and fatigue (Nasser & Chowdhury, 2021; Sprajcer, et.al., 2022).
The AlertMeter® and PRISM product proprietary mix of FRMS components (e.g., biomathematical models, self-report measures, performance monitoring) have been found to improve critical safety and fatigue key performance metrics (Ferguson, et. al., 2020; Fiscor, 2017; Professional Safety, 2019). A touch-screen application is used to administer a 90-second test that measures cognitive functions such as reaction time, decision making, and hand/eye coordination. The AlertMeter® and PRISM tools provide an efficient and accurate system to identify alertness that deviates significantly from an employee’s normal results.
Conclusions:
Few studies provide an evidence-base for the effectiveness of FRMS. However, Predictive Safety’s AlertMeter® and PRISM products provide a proven technological solution when used in conjunction with established safety management system (SMS) to aid in reducing incidents and mishaps related to fatigue-related factors.
The AlertMeter® prediction tool and PRISM platform provides an exceptional solution to employer concerns regarding efforts to prevent incidents and employee concerns about privacy and safety measures. With biomathematical models that compare employees only to themselves, a greater degree of certainty can be made relative to possible fatigue-related impairment and individualized recommendations.
Management and safety professionals will find that predictive mathematical modeling of fatigue for work scheduling, proactive fatigue monitoring in the workplace, and reactive post incident follow-up is an excellent adjunct to proactive safety efforts. The goal is to use AlertMeter® and Prism to assist companies to put in place procedures that serve to address fatigue before, during, and after potential fatigue-related incidents.
Opinion:
Based upon a review of AlertMeter® and PRISM documents supplied by Predictive Safety, foundational science provided by peer-reviewed literature, and case studies of field use of the AlertMeter® predictive modeling tool in conjunction with the PRISM platform, it is my opinion that AlertMeter® and PRISM solution is a sound companion to any company’s alertness and/or fatigue-related assessment and mitigation efforts.
References:
Dawson, D., Darwent, D., & Roach, G. D. (2017). How should a bio-mathematical model be used within a fatigue risk management system to determine whether or not a working time arrangement is safe? Accident Analysis and Prevention, 99(Pt B), 469-473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.11.032
Ferguson, B. A., Lauriski, D. R., Huecker, M., Wichmann, M., Shreffler, J., & Shoff, H. (2020). Testing alertness of emergency physicians: A novel quantitative measure of alertness and implications for worker and patient care. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 58(3), 514-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2019.10.032
Fiscor, S. (2017). Open-pit mining conference offers solutions for operators: Engineering, geology, mineralogy, metallurgy, chemistry, etc. Engineering and Mining Journal, 218(4), 47-48,50-53. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/login?url=https://www-proquestcom.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/scholarly-journals/open-pit-mining-conferenceoffers-solutions/docview/1900030634/se-2?accountid=27203
Honn, K. A., Dongan, H. P. A. V., & Dawson, D. (2019). Working time society consensus statements: Prescriptive rule sets and risk management-based approaches for the management of fatigue-related risk in working time arrangements. Industrial Health, 57(2), 264-280. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.SW-8
Mallis, M. M., Mejdal, S., Nguyen, T. T., & Dinges, D. F. (2004). Summary of the key features of seven biomathematical models of human fatigue and performance. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 75(Supplement 1), A4-A14.
Nasser Al Alawi, M., & Kanti Chowdhury, S. (2021). Occupational fatigue risk assessment and management system: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 65(1), 482-483. https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181321651021
SASM Introduces Application to Detect Impairment Before Work. (2019). Professional Safety, 64(3), 13.
Sprajcer, M., Thomas, M. J. W., Sargent, C., Crowther, M. E., Boivin, D. B., Wong, I. S., Smiley, A., & Dawson, D. (2022). How effective are fatigue risk management systems (FRMS)? A review. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 165, 106398-106398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2021.106398
