Free fatigue management plan template

What is a fatigue management plan template?

A fatigue management plan is a documented system that sets out how a workplace, fleet or site identifies fatigue as a work health and safety hazard and controls it so far as is reasonably practicable. It records the duties that apply, the work and rest arrangements in place, the signs and risk factors workers must watch for, the controls used to reduce fatigue, and how the plan is monitored and reviewed. The plan turns a legal duty into clear day to day practice for schedulers, supervisors and workers.

For heavy vehicle operators the plan also covers the fatigue requirements of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, including the work and rest hour options of Standard Hours, Basic Fatigue Management and Advanced Fatigue Management, and the Chain of Responsibility duties that make every party in the supply chain accountable. Because fatigue is a shared duty, the plan helps consignors, schedulers, loaders and managers show that they do not create or ignore conditions that cause a driver or worker to become fatigued.

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your plans from paper to MapTrack, you get:

• Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
• Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
• Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
• Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
• Ability to share forms digitally.
• Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
• Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
• Electronic signatures.
• Edit forms later without reprinting.
• Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
• Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
• Escalate critical hazards instantly to safety managers via push notification.
• Maintain an auditable safety register that satisfies WHS regulator requests.
• Correlate incident trends across sites with built-in safety analytics.

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What to include in a fatigue management plan template

This fatigue management plan template covers 9 key areas:

• Scope and duty holders: the sites, roles and vehicles covered, and the WHS and Chain of Responsibility duties that apply to each party
• Work and rest arrangements: the hours, shift patterns and break rules in use, including the Standard Hours, BFM or AFM option for heavy vehicle drivers
• Rostering and scheduling controls: how schedules are planned so they do not encourage fatigue, speeding or unrealistic delivery times
• Fatigue signs and risk factors: the physical, mental and behavioural warning signs and the personal and work factors that raise fatigue risk
• Fit for work and self-assessment: how workers report fitness, declare insufficient sleep and complete a self-assessment before high risk tasks
• Fatigue controls: job rotation, rest breaks, journey management, controlled napping, limits on night work and removal of high risk tasks at low alertness times
• Reporting and response: how a fatigued worker or near miss is reported, who is notified and what immediate action stands the worker down
• Roles and responsibilities: the duties of managers, schedulers, supervisors and workers for managing and reporting fatigue
• Monitoring and review: the records kept, the triggers for review such as an incident or roster change, and the date of the next scheduled review

How often should you complete this plan?

Review the fatigue management plan at least once a year, and sooner whenever something changes that affects fatigue risk. Triggers include a new roster or shift pattern, a change to routes or delivery windows, a move between Standard Hours, BFM or AFM, a fatigue related incident or near miss, a worker complaint, or a change to the law or your accreditation. Heavy vehicle operators should also keep work and rest records current so they can show compliance at any time.

Fit for work and self-assessment checks are not annual. They happen every shift, before long drives and before high risk tasks, so fatigue is caught on the day it occurs rather than at the next formal review. Treat the written plan as the standing framework and the daily checks as the live control that keeps it working in practice.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

• Heavy Vehicle National Law - fatigue management (work and rest hours: Standard Hours, Basic Fatigue Management and Advanced Fatigue Management options, administered by the NHVR)
• Heavy Vehicle National Law - Chain of Responsibility (section 26A: safety of transport activities is the shared responsibility of each party in the chain, so far as is reasonably practicable)
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 - primary duty of care to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety, including fatigue, so far as is reasonably practicable
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 - risk management duties and the hierarchy of control measures (Regulation 36)
• Safe Work Australia - Model Code of Practice: Managing the risk of fatigue at work

Related resources

More safety templates and guides:

• Risk assessment template
• Safe work procedure template
• Take 5 risk assessment
• SWMS template
• Site induction checklist
• Digital forms
• Compliance features
• Pricing