By Sue Hewitt
The Northern Weekly
THOMASTOWN, U.K. — A fatigued paramedic fell asleep at the wheel of an ambulance, according to a union.
The officer narrowly avoided a head-on collision when she nodded off and swung her ambulance in front of oncoming traffic, the Ambulance Employees’ Association claim.
The recent near miss involving a Thomastown officer highlighted fatigue plaguing paramedics, according to association state secretary Steve McGhie.
A leaked Ambulance Victoria report showed paramedics had been so tired it was as if they were impaired with a blood alcohol content of .05 or more, he said.
Mr McGhie said the 2009 report was still relevant because fatigue issues had not been resolved at the busiest stations, including Thomastown.
He said WorkSafe had upheld a provisional improvement notice by the occupational health and safety officer at Thomastown who claimed the station’s roster led to unsafe work practices.
A new roster of three days on, three days off with 12-hour day, afternoon and night shifts, did not take into account regular overtime, he said.
“Fatigue is very risky for paramedics and the general public; it might lead to falling asleep at the wheel of an ambulance or an error in clinical judgment,” he said.
Opposition health spokesman Wade Noonan said almost a quarter of ambulances that arrived at the Northern Hospital took 40 minutes to transfer their patients. The waiting time on hospital ramps, or ramping, added to paramedics’ fatigue, he said.
Grant Hocking, Ambulance Victoria acting regional manager, was aware of the Thomastown incident, but declined to comment.
He said the new Thomastown roster “ensures paramedics receive adequate rest periods”.
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