Transitioning to the new Fatigue Rules
Fatigue risk Management is a key area of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s new rules with CASA having undertaken several reviews and amendments to the proposed standards in recent years.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), finalised the fatigue rules and incorporated 24 recommendations after an independent review and industry consultation in 2019. The original timeline was to implement these in a staged roll out in late 2019 and 2020, however, due to COVID-19 , CASA have extended the transition dates by a further 12 months taking this to 1 July 2021.
What are the new Fatigue Rules?
The new rules can be found in full HERE and you can see more details about the rule amendments in the video below.
What does this mean for me?
The rule amendments will affect everyone slightly differently. Depending on which version of the previous rules your current operations manual adheres, and the nature of your operation, there are three possible options for incorporating fatigue management into your business.
Your options are:
- Adopt the prescriptive rules (Appendices 1 to 6) without modification
To take this route, you will need to submit an updated operations manual and fatigue compliance declaration form by 30 June 2021. - Adopt the prescriptive rules (Appendices 1 to 6) with some minor variation
To take this route you will need to apply for a minor variation (which includes an updated operations manual and fatigue compliance declaration form). NOTE: You should apply at least three months before it is required to take effect. - Commence a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) trial and then:
Depending on the level of capacity in which you operate, you will need to either:- For Low Capacity RPT operators – apply for an FRMS approval (with all supporting documents) by 30 June 2021.
- For High Capacity RPT operators – were required to apply for an FRMS by 30 November 2019 and must now focus on obtaining CASA approval by 30 June 2021.
Identifying the differences in the new Fatigue Rules, which standards apply to you and actually completing the updates and supporting documents can be a lot of work. At Progressive Aviation Solutions, we deal with these legislation changes everyday and can make the process simple and easy for you to transition by the necessary deadlines.
Got a question about the fatigue rules? Not sure what to do? Let us help you. Get in contact with us today.
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