
2500 KiwiRail workers banned from using sleep meds
Melatonin will soon be sold over the counter without requiring a prescription.
Rail and Maritime Union health and safety organiser Karen Fletcher said in a recent memo to staff, KiwiRail said workers in safety sensitive roles taking melatonin or Zopiclone would be stood down temporarily.
She said the union was not consulted on the decision.
"We first heard about it when the staff got in touch with us and said, 'What's this all about?' They've been taking melatonin and Zopiclone for years and even decades, prescribed by a doctor, and sometimes the rail medical doctor.
"It came as a shock."
She said the staff included in the ban were those in high-risk, front-line roles, who often operated heavy machinery.
Many were shift workers who relied on melatonin or Zopiclone to help them sleep, she said.
"Shift workers have to sleep at odd times of the day and night, and [sleep medication] has been really helpful for them.
"They take it to be fit for work because if they don't sleep, they're at risk of working in a fatigued state."
She said the workers often had to shift their start time and sleep time, working rotating shifts.
She said the union had not had any issues with workers being impaired from taking sleep aids, and some said taking them made them feel the best they ever had at work.
"They're questioning why now, why the change, is there new evidence?
"And will people be able to take it in certain circumstances, and what will happen to our members if they're unable to transition off these meds that they've been using for decades in some cases?" KiwiRail's statement
In a statement, a KiwiRail spokesperson told RNZ it made the decision based on advice from its chief medical officer Dr Simon Ryder-Lewis who is an occupational medicine physician.
"KiwiRail's chief medical officer has independently reviewed the use of Zopiclone and melatonin by safety critical workers at KiwiRail. This review considered the medical evidence regarding these medications as well as regulatory practices in rail and other comparable industries, both in New Zealand and internationally.
"Based on this assessment, the chief medical officer has determined that neither medication is compatible with safety critical work at KiwiRail."
KiwiRail said it placed the highest priority on safety and under its Fitness for Work Policy, all workers were required to notify their managers or supervisor of any factors which might impair their ability to perform their duties safely, including declaring prescription medications.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also told RNZ it did not generally recommend melatonin for pilots and crew.
"We have found the use of melatonin by pilots and cabin crew is usually not useful to manage fatigue and roster-related time zone changes. Melatonin may be approved by CAA on a case-by-case basis for pilots without sleep disorders." Sleep expert's view
Deputy Head of the University of Auckland Department of Anaesthesiology Guy Warman has expertise in sleep, circadian rhythms and melatonin.
He said it was common for shift workers, particularly those who work overnight, to feel tired while on shift and have poor sleep while off work.
"Shift work presents all sorts of challenges because people are working at times when the body is trying to promote sleep.
"People then seek ways of improving their sleep through medication and other means.
He said melatonin was different from other sleep medications that acted as sedatives.
"It's not really a sleep drug, it's a hormone.
"Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain in very low doses. It naturally acts on receptors in our central biological clock to reinforce our day-night sleeping cycle.
"However, in pharmacological doses, it can be taken to shift our biological clock and reduce sleep onset latency, which is the amount of time it takes to get to sleep."
He said as long as it was taken in appropriate doses and at appropriate times, the safety effects of melatonin were positive.
"The general recommendation is eight hours before doing any work.
"The evidence I'm aware of is that the melatonin will be gone before the eight hours are up."
He was not aware of any evidence that taking a standard 3mg of melatonin could cause impairment the day after it was taken.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Nurses say strike isn't just about the money, also a call for safe staffing levels
Waikato Hospital emergency department nurse Tracy Chisholm said the emergency department (ED) was so short-staffed that patients who soiled themselves could end up lying for hours in their own filth because staff did not have time to help. Other patients could wait all night just to be seen. 'It could mean 14 hours sitting in a waiting room through the night. It's not uncommon for patients who arrive at 9pm to not see a doctor until the following morning,' she said. 'Patients should not have to explain to their visiting children why the man in the bed next door keeps shouting out - using expletives and profanities - because the nurses have been unable to manage his pain or distress - because there are not enough doctors to see, diagnose and direct treatment, nor is there available support staff to sit with the confused elderly to provide calming support and ensure they don't get off their beds and fall.' Waikato Hospital emergency department nurse and union delegate Tracy Chisholm. Photo / Natalie Akoorie, RNZ Her department was short more than 20 fulltime nurses, but was unable to replace those who resigned, retired or went on maternity leave because it had '20 more than budgeted'. 'One of our previous hospital managers went 'Hell yes, you need more staff'. And we went a little bit above our budget because they could see the need, they could see the issues. However, we've never ever got that budget.' ED was also short of doctors, healthcare assistants and other allied staff, Chisholm said. 'I'm striking because this is my health system. It's the one my parents, my children rely on. And it's not good enough.' Health NZ said senior nurses' pay had jumped nearly 74% since 2011, twice as fast as the average worker's. However, Chisholm, who is also a union delegate, said a big chunk of that increase came from nurses' hard-won pay equity claim, making up for decades of low-pay due to sex-based discrimination. 'We're not asking for the same percentage that they've all just got in their little offices, we're just looking at the cost-of-living so we can feed our children, pay our bills and just carry on. 'We're not even asking for enough to pay for parking since we don't have much of that around hospitals in this country.' Salary not the sticking point – nurses Health NZ is offering a 2% pay increase this year, 1% next year and a lump sum payment of $325. It has also sought to extend the term of the agreement by three months to 27 months to January 2027. The union points out the longer term would further dilute the value of the pay rise. The Nurses Organisation wants a 3% increase this year (backdated to April 7) and 2% next year (effective April 2026). The union's chief executive, Paul Goulter, said, however, pay was not the critical issue. 'The heart of this dispute is the failure of the Government to provide guarantees that they will fund and resource staffing that meets what our patients need.' Data obtained by the NZNO under the Official Information Act for 16 districts over 10 months last year, showed 50% of day shifts were under-staffed. The union accuses Health NZ of erasing long-standing safe staffing commitments from the collective agreement. Health NZ has argued clinical matters were better addressed through 'operational policies'. Goulter said that was misleading. 'Why it's too difficult for them to staff up to what's needed is because the Government won't support the resourcing necessary to do it.' Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter. Photo / Nate McKinnon, RNZ Future nurses fearful National student president Bianca Grimmer, who would be looking for work at the end of the year, said less than half of mid-year nursing graduates had been offered hospital jobs so far. 'It's definitely nerve-wracking for me and my cohort, you're wondering I guess, where do I go from here? Do I apply to go overseas as well as applying for here? 'Do I spread my options wide? Or will it hopefully fix itself by then? But you know, it's only a few months away.' Hospitals and emergency departments remain open during the strike, which ends at 9am on Thursday. To maintain patient safety, most clinics will be closed, but Health NZ said patients with appointments should still attend unless they have been contacted. -RNZ


Otago Daily Times
12 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Mental health support needed for flood victims: advocate
People in the Tasman region will need long-term mental health support after devastating winter floods, a mental health advocate says. Locals have endured two flood emergencies and repeated orange heavy rain warnings in recent weeks. The Nelson Tasman region is again under a heavy rain warning until at least 10pm today. Nelson Tasman Emergency Management duty group controller Rob Smith told RNZ's Checkpoint programme today that residents are tired, and the current weather system would typically not be one to worry about if it were not for the previous flood damage. The Rural Support Trust says many already flood-affected residents were also feeling very anxious as more heavy rain fell. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson says when disaster strikes, people were usually in a more practical mode, adrenaline pumping, and doing what they needed to do to respond. It was the aftermath that could leave some people feeling depressed, hopeless or isolated - a natural human response to a very difficult situation, he said. "It's then when you have to look at the aftermath and the fact that things are not going to go back to the way they were, that can be really difficult and that's when it can really start to affect people's mental health and well-being. "People need to really create a new sense of what living in that place is going to be about." Robinson described what was happening in Tasman as an "ongoing natural disaster" rather than separate floods. Community connections made a big difference. "What we've seen and what farmers and rural people have told us from the Cyclone Gabrielle experience [in 2023], was that it was communities continuing to work together that made the difference to them continuing to have hope and a sense of not being alone in this, and therefore boosting their resilience and mental well-being," he said. The government also needed to look at what support it provided, not only offering counselling, Robinson said. "Whatever communities do and whatever government does to respond to a situation like Tasman, really needs to be boosting those community networks, those community responses to this ongoing crisis. "It is the months and even years after these major events that we need to encourage that sense of community resilience and actually put some work into creating and sustaining that community resilience. "That is certainly what the government is responsible for resourcing as part of its response to natural disasters." It was important that communities felt supported and did not feel like the country had forgotten them, he believed. Robinson hoped people would feel comfortable to reach out and ask for support if they needed it. Rural Support Trust Nelson Tasman chair Richard Kempthorne said people were getting tired after heavy rain has battered the region multiple times within the space of weeks. "It certainly takes a toll on people. Many of these people who've lived in the area for years and they've lived on their properties for years and they've had flooding before. But very few people have had a flood to this extent." Many people in the Motueka and Wai-iti valleys relied on their business in the area for income so flooding also threatened their livelihoods, he said. "During the flood event, it will just be step back and let it happen. Once it drops, what's the damage left and then what can we do? "What we encourage and what people I think are actually quite good at is to chopping it down into - what do I need to do first and what are the steps I need to take? Not trying to do it all at once and just bite one chunk off at a time." Kempthorne said people should reach out for help as there was support available. That included Taskforce Green which was going onto farms to clear debris, Big Bake in Wakefield which was preparing food for rural communities, Federated Farmers, and the Rural Support Trust which offered counselling support.


Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Eating well on the cheap when you're a student
"You're going to be learning some of the hardest things you might have learnt at this point in your life, and you kind of need to be switched on," says student Renata Herrera Rojas. And noodles just won't cut it. Dunedin law and global studies student Renata Herrera Rojas is determined to get young people feeding their brain properly - without busting the budget. "Not only do the students not have those [cooking] skills, they don't know where to get those skills," she tells host of RNZ's Thrift podcast, Katy Gosset. Renata, of Chilean heritage, says food is a big part of her family's culture - she and her sister had a solid repertoire of recipes from the age of 10. "It meant that we became self-sustained a lot younger," she says. The fourth year student has written a manual, the Beginner's Guide to Nourishment , to make cheap and healthy student eating easy. It covers meal planning, a pantry guide, equipment info, some advice about storing and choosing produce, and where to shop. Consider your attitude towards food Nutrition should be a priority to fuel the brain, Renata says. "I've always really been into this topic because I grew up in a house where we cooked from very little." If children are taught to cook, not only can parents take a night out of the kitchen, they're also preparing kid for life out of the nest. "It was so easy to transition from living with my mum and dad to living alone," Renata says. She reckons healthy eating has a lot more impact than some students realise. "For quality of life and being able to have your brain functioning properly." Prepping, organising and meal planning Consider making a big meal and splitting it up into portions to freeze, defrosting one when you need it so nothing is wasted. Renata always aims to have leftovers, but she does consider how many nights in a row she will want to be eating the same thing. "It's actually a biological thing that we get sick of eating the same thing because our brain thinks that it's gone bad because we're eating the same thing over and over again," she believes. Renata suggests having a well-equipped kitchen so cooking feels easy, and one is less likely to reach for a packet of noodles. She has the right knives - bigger ones for root vegetables like pumpkin and potatoes, a serrated one for fruit and bread. "Blunt knives are actually more dangerous because if they can't cut through the vegetable properly they can slip and cut your fingers." And wash your blades by hand - dishwashers will blunt your knives. She says good tools make food taste better. "The [chopping] boards can pick up flavours or smells ... you don't want your morning breakfast to have like an onion-y taste to it," she tells Thrift. And opt for a wooden board over plastic - they will last longer. Get good stainless steel pans, and learn how to use them properly. "With stainless steel, if you learn how to use it and you make sure that it's properly hot, it'll actually become non-stick itself... You just have to be a little patient but in the long run, it's going to last you way longer. So it's a little bit about long-term investment." Where to find thrifty ingredients Renata shops at a small Indian supermarket in Dunedin, but there are similar independent vege shops all over New Zealand. Find bulk bins of dry legumes and seeds where you can scoop out how much you need and avoid over-shopping. "I end up paying basically nothing," she says. "It's such a steal." Consider how fruit and vegetables are stored to make them last longer, she says. "At room temperature, the fruits and vegetables release gases that make other vegetables ripen quicker." Renata juggles her produce between the fridge and the fruit bowl to make sure that nothing gets wasted. She keeps leafy greens with their roots on in the fridge. "Eating the way that I do is costing me about $150 a fortnight," leaving her wiggle room to go out for dinner or buy something new. • Follow and listen to Thrift on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, YouTube Music or wherever you get your podcasts.