drive dangerously tired or get your notice

rebel1012

Thank you to the 1 person offering practical advice rather than mis reading or trolling

saintjammyswine

This may come under Health & Safety Legislation which you cannot be sacked for, although someone with better knowledge will correct as required.

kwmlondon

I'd suggest writing to explain that you are scheduled to work at the time they have suggested and offer a couple of options of your own. State, clearly, that you are highlighting a health and safety issue and would like to find a resolution that is mutually beneficial and are amenable to a wide range of solutions but need to discuss it to find a way of dealing with this issue.

It may be that you cannot do this job as you live too far away.

However, in the meantime I suggest that you take a sleep after a long shift when you are too tired to drive. Just 20 minutes should restore you to a level that means you can drive, but go for a brisk walk first and drive with the car windows open - no heating, be as uncomfortable as possible and if you start to nod off STOP AND HAVE ANOTHER NAP.

I know you have responsibilities to your kids but your first concern is to get home alive.

I hope you sort this out okay.

StuC75

Was the extra shift following a working day or following a day off? How much notice were you given for working that day?

Your travel to work arrangements were the same on the extra day as a normal working day, so was it more the case that you hadn't prepared sleeping wise for that extra shift (2.5hr nap on the afternoon before), would assume that you normally get more sleep than that?

12 hour night shift is just as tiring as a 12 hour day shift with an hours commute...

Salz

rebel1012 wrote: »

Situation is thus

They wanted a meeting next Tuesday but failed to give a time or location and I am already booked in elsewhere in my other job for the day anyways.

Sorry, do you have 2 jobs?

paddedjohn

Have you opted out of the working time regs? Go to the meeting and explain tht you are happy to do extra shifts but only if you have at least 1 rest day between days and nights, it sounds like they think you are refusing the extra work full stop.

paddyrg

I'd approach it with a bit of pragmatism but a lot of reality. Sometimes you may need to cover for other shifts, that's understandable and you'd sometimes need other people to cover for you. However you can't do so if it makes you dangerous - maybe suggest they for instance try to split the extra shifts and provide a nap room or something?

Either way, over 48h the Working Time directive should be kicking in to prevent you from being forced to do that work

marybelle01

paddedjohn wrote: »

Have you opted out of the working time regs? Go to the meeting and explain tht you are happy to do extra shifts but only if you have at least 1 rest day between days and nights, it sounds like they think you are refusing the extra work full stop.

I think we need a response to Salz's question. It sounds like the OP has a full-time job which requires overtime as required (quite legal if they are opted out) AND another job on top of that. In which case there is an argument that the OP's tiredness is not a result of the employers shifts, but of the OP's choices. Working 48 hours per week as a norm, plus overtime, plus another job on top would certainly result in being tired!

paddedjohn

So are we talking about you working Monday- Thursday days and being asked to work a Thursday night?

skivenov

kwmlondon wrote: »

I'd suggest writing to explain that you are scheduled to work at the time they have suggested and offer a couple of options of your own. State, clearly, that you are highlighting a health and safety issue and would like to find a resolution that is mutually beneficial and are amenable to a wide range of solutions but need to discuss it to find a way of dealing with this issue.

It may be that you cannot do this job as you live too far away.

However, in the meantime I suggest that you take a sleep after a long shift when you are too tired to drive. Just 20 minutes should restore you to a level that means you can drive, but go for a brisk walk first and drive with the car windows open - no heating, be as uncomfortable as possible and if you start to nod off STOP AND HAVE ANOTHER NAP.

^This

I spent 5 years+ working away on night shifts, then driving back from wherever in the country after the last one. If you're tired, pull over and have a snooze, I've done this 15 minutes from home more than once.

Working Time Directives, Health and Safety Legislation and everything else aside...

Rule number one = look after number one.

27col

I have found that having just a 20 minute nap in a service area actually worked wonders when I felt very tired and could hardly keep awake.