Door-to-door fatigue planning checklist
This page provides an original checklist for considering door-to-door time and travel-related fatigue in site-based, mobile, and field operations. It prompts consideration of the full journey — not only scheduled duty hours.
Important: This checklist is not legal advice. It does not state that door-to-door time is always paid working time, does not set universal hour limits, and does not guarantee compliance. Adapt it to your organisation and review findings with competent persons. Sector-specific requirements vary.
How to use this checklist
Section titled “How to use this checklist”- Define legs consistently — agree what counts as outward travel, duty, and return travel in your policy. See duty, travel, and commute.
- Apply to a specific assignment — a shift, possession, site visit, or multi-day job.
- Estimate typical and worst-case door-to-door duration for each leg.
- Record assumptions — origin (home, hotel, depot), mode of travel, and whether the worker is driving.
- Escalate for competent review where exposure appears elevated.
- Reassess when actual journeys differ from plan — see planned vs actual fatigue.
For the underlying concept, see door-to-door time. For wider field operations context, see infrastructure and field operations fatigue.
1. Outward travel
Section titled “1. Outward travel”Check whether:
- Journey from origin to work location is estimated (typical and worst case)
- Early starts plus long outward travel compress sleep before duty — see early starts and fatigue
- The worker is driving, a passenger, or using public transport
- Delays and diversions are plausible in this operation
- Outward travel is included in fatigue planning even if not paid working time
2. Duty / work period
Section titled “2. Duty / work period”Check whether:
- Planned duty start and finish times are recorded
- Night work or long duties increase post-travel fatigue risk
- Breaks and welfare on site are realistic — not assumed best case
- Task demand during duty matches what planners assumed
3. Return travel
Section titled “3. Return travel”Check whether:
- Return journey duration and timing are estimated
- Return travel occurs when alertness may be low (after night work or long day)
- The worker may be driving after duty — ORR guidance notes that driving provides no opportunity for sleep, and travel does not rest in the same way as time at home
- Alternatives (passenger travel, rest before driving, accommodation) have been considered where reasonably practicable
- Multi-day assignments: is return travel on this day, or does the worker remain in accommodation?
4. Early starts and late finishes
Section titled “4. Early starts and late finishes”Check whether:
- Total elapsed time from leaving origin to returning is estimated
- Early departure for outward travel adds to wakefulness before duty
- Late finish plus long return extends the working day beyond duty hours
- The combined pattern has been reviewed across consecutive days
5. Night work
Section titled “5. Night work”Check whether:
- Night duties are identified in the assignment
- Return travel after a night shift occurs during circadian low — see night shift fatigue
- Sleep opportunity before the next duty is realistic
- Night work plus travel has been included in wider fatigue assessment
6. Mode of travel
Section titled “6. Mode of travel”Check whether:
- Driving — higher vigilance demand; no sleep opportunity; post-duty driving risk considered
- Passenger / public transport — may reduce road risk to others but still limits restorative sleep compared with being at home
- Shared travel — waiting, pickup points, and indirect routes add elapsed time
- This checklist does not cover driver-hours, tachograph, or fleet compliance rules
7. Overnight accommodation
Section titled “7. Overnight accommodation”Check whether:
- Workers stay away from home during the assignment
- Which day counts as the return leg when using site accommodation
- Accommodation allows adequate sleep (noise, sharing, early departures)
- Policy is clear on origin for each day’s door-to-door calculation
8. Remote sites
Section titled “8. Remote sites”Check whether:
- Sites are hard to reach with long or unpredictable journeys
- Welfare facilities (rest areas, food, shelter) are available
- Call-outs or extended duties could lengthen the day unexpectedly
- Remote patterns are reviewed as a sequence, not isolated days
9. Welfare and rest opportunities
Section titled “9. Welfare and rest opportunities”Check whether:
- Rest is possible during travel (generally limited compared with being off duty at home)
- On-site rest between tasks is realistic
- Workers can raise welfare concerns without penalty — see worker fatigue reporting
10. Planned vs actual deviations
Section titled “10. Planned vs actual deviations”Check whether:
- Actual journey times are monitored when operations are disrupted
- Overtime or overruns extend duty within the door-to-door period
- Reassessment is triggered when actual exposure exceeds what was planned
11. Recording the decision
Section titled “11. Recording the decision”Check whether:
- Door-to-door assumptions are documented for the assignment
- Who reviewed travel-related fatigue risk is recorded
- Mitigations are noted if work proceeds with elevated exposure
- Records support audit and learning — see fatigue records and audit
12. When to escalate for review
Section titled “12. When to escalate for review”Consider escalation to a competent person when:
- Door-to-door duration is materially longer than typical for the role
- Post-duty driving follows night work or a long shift
- Quick returns or consecutive long-travel days appear in the schedule
- Workers report travel-related fatigue concerns
- Model or assessment assumptions do not match operational reality
See management accountability for fatigue.
Planning summary
Section titled “Planning summary”| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Assignment / role | |
| Date(s) | |
| Origin (home / hotel / depot) | |
| Outward travel (est. typical / worst) | |
| Duty period | |
| Return travel (est. typical / worst) | |
| Driving? (Y/N, which legs) | |
| Accommodation used? | |
| Reviewer | |
| Date | |
| Concerns / mitigations |
What this checklist does not do
Section titled “What this checklist does not do”- Does not define pay, working time, or contractual travel entitlements
- Does not state that any specific door-to-door duration is prohibited or permitted
- Does not reproduce Network Rail or other industry threshold matrices
- Does not cover driver-hours, tachograph, or HGV/fleet compliance
- Does not make a roster safe or prove compliance
Where fatigue models include commute or travel inputs, document how travel was estimated — see fatigue risk model inputs and outputs.
Related pages
Section titled “Related pages”- Door-to-door time
- Duty, travel, and commute
- Infrastructure and field operations fatigue
- Early starts and fatigue
- Planned vs actual fatigue
- Fatigue records and audit
- Management accountability for fatigue
- Shift pattern review checklist
References
Section titled “References”- Managing rail staff fatigue — ORR, Appendix A: Travel time — travel and fatigue concepts (paraphrased; not reproduced)
- Managing shift work (HSG256) — shift work and recovery factors
- Fatigue — HSE — fatigue as a workplace hazard
- RR446 — The development of a fatigue / risk index for shiftworkers — travel/commute as a model input where configured