Rest Breaks

Are physiologie measurements taken during rest breaks and used to modify work/rest sehedules ... 

AB is a 60-year-old woman presenting to the clinic with a chief complaint of fatigue and weakness. She has noticed a gradual increase in symptoms over the past year but attributed this to "old age." Recently, she has required more frequent rest breaks than before. On further questioning, she complained of intermittent nausea leading to decreased appetite and a 10 lb (4.55 kg) weight loss over the past year. She also reported darkening of a recent scar. 

Workers recover from the heat more effectively with shorter, more fie-quent rest breaks than they do with longer, less frequent breaks. Longer, Sequent rest breaks are necessary for heavier work and for work in higher temperatures and humidities. Rest breaks should be promoted among workers as a time for drinking water. Whenever possible, rest breaks should be taken in a shaded or air-conditioned area. It is hard to rest effectively in a hot environment. Rest breaks help workers recover from heat because ... 

Under mild condtions, workers wearing protective gear might take a ten-minute break every hour. When heat stress conditions increase, a five-minute break every half-hour would be better. When working in chemical-resistant snits and/or in higher temperatures and humidities, the length of rest breaks and the amonnt of water consnmed must increase sharply (see Tables 7.2 and 7.3). 

In addition to a good night s sleep, it is essential that Air types give themselves rest breaks during the day. Follow the section on breaks in Chapter 6 to make sure you know when and how to use break times. 

Allow frequent (voluntary and mandatory) rest breaks. 

As a minimum, a 15-minute break from working should be taken after 2 hours of continuous computer work (CDC 1980 NIOSH 1981). Breaks should be more frequent as visual, muscular, and mental loads are high and as users complain of visual and musculoskeletal discomfort and psychological stress. With such intense, high-workload tasks, a work break of 10 minutes should be taken after 1 hour of continuous computer work. More frequent breaks for alternative work that does not pose demands similar to the primary computer work can be taken after 30 minutes of continuous computer work. Rest breaks provide an opportunity for recovery from local visual, musculoskeletal, and mental fatigue, to break from monotonous activities, or to engage in activities that provide variety in sensory, motor, and cognitive requirements. 

Henning, R. A., Bopp, M. I., Tucker, K. M., Knoph, R. D., Ahlgren, J. (1997). Team-managed rest breaks during computer-supported cooperative work. IntemationalJoumal of Industrial Ergonomics, 20, 19-29. 

Adnunistrative controls reduce an employee s exposure to tasks with ergononuc hazards by schemes such as rotation to less stressful jobs, reduced production demand or quotas, and increased rest breaks. 

Rest Break — Driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours have passed since the end of the driver s last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes. 

Thirty minutes or more of attendance time may be used to meet the rest break requirement for operators who are required to be in attendance on a commercial motor vehicle containing Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosives. This rest break (for operators required to be in attendance) must be recorded as on-duty time on the record of duty status with remarks or notes indicating the specific on-duty periods used to meet the break requirement. 

I Also, the mandatory rest break requirement does not apply to a driver who qualifies for the short-haul exception (non-CDL). 

Employees cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours each week on average, and 40 hours for 16- to 18-year-old trainees. Trainees must also have 12 hours uninterrupted rest from work each day. Older workers, required to work for more than six hours continuously, are entitled to a 20-minute rest break, to be taken within the six hours, and must have 11 hours uninterrupted rest from work each day. If you think you are not getting the correct number of breaks, talk to your supervisor or trade union representative. 

Property carr3dng drivers using the split sleeper-berth option may accumulate the equivalent of 10 hours off duty by taking two periods of rest, one of which must be at least 8 consecutive hours of rest in the sleeper. The other break must be at least 2 hours of rest and can be either off duty or sleeper, or a combination of the two. The 8 hour sleeper break does not count toward the driver s 14 hour calculation, but the 2 hour rest break does count toward the driver s 14 hour calculation,... 

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