Overworked soldiers may be too exhausted to patrol the border in a no-deal Brexit, an expert warned yesterday.
The army needs to introduce a “rest card system” to protect troops from driver fatigue, the defence forces’ representative group PDFORRA insists.
It singled out one case where a soldier was on the road for 35 hours without rest after travelling from a barracks in the north of the country to Cork and back.
The organisation, representing 6,500 soldiers, naval and air corps personnel, revealed its serious concerns for members’ safety if troops are sent to police the border after October 31.
Health and safety officer Ray McKenna told the group’s annual conference in Carlow: “PDFORRA has requested the introduction of a driver rest card system for all drivers whilst on driving details and also being required to take part in these exercises.
“This is to ensure that our members get the correct amount of time to be sufficiently rested before return journeys back to their units.”
He stressed a return to a hard border if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal on October 31, will see soldiers driving long distances daily.
He said: “Looking forward, what about Brexit and the strong possibility of our members back out on patrols of the Border area?
“With it looming and the ever increasing threat of our members back out patrolling all 500km of the Border, our members’ health and safety and welfare entitlements must not be forgotten about.”
