Trial Contact Us
HSE Articles
Back to Resources

Fatigue management for inside and outside the workplace

Written by Nicolina Holmes

 

Managing fatigue in the workplace is essential, but it can also be complex. Fatigue involves diverse factors that affect workers both inside and outside the workplace.

 

 

Your fatigue risk management approach needs to reflect that. It needs to consider hazards, risks and controls at the work and individual level – an all-encompassing fatigue risk management system.

 

 

This article will take you through that, but first, an overview of fatigue – the signs and causes of fatigue, as well as the serious health and safety implications.

 

 

 

What is fatigue?

 

Fatigue is more than just feeling tired. Fatigue, as defined by Safe Work Australia “is a state of mental and/or physical exhaustion that reduces the ability to work safely and effectively”.

 

 

Those most at risk are shift workers, night workers, fly-in, fly-out workers, heavy vehicle operators, medical and emergency service professionals, among others.

 

 

 

 

How to identify a fatigued worker

 

The signs of fatigue manifest physically, mentally and/or emotionally in a worker. Here are some of those signs.

 

Some common physical indicators:

  • Involuntary falling asleep
  • Decrease in energy levels and movement
  • Changes in behaviour, such as not talking with co-workers or arriving late to work
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness

 

Some common mental or emotional indicators:

  • Find it difficult to concentrate or make decisions
  • Find it difficult to remember instructions
  • Changes in mood, such as becoming irritable or depressed
  • Decrease in alertness or reaction times

 

 

 

 

How can workplace fatigue be caused?

 

The main cause of fatigue is insufficient or disrupted sleep , however, there are work related, biological and lifestyle factors that can make people more vulnerable than others. Here are some of those factors.

 

Work related factors

  • Irregular or long working hours
  • Insufficient work breaks
  • Physically, mentally or emotionally demanding tasks
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Exposure to other physical or psychosocial hazards
  • Travelling or having a long commute

 

Human factors

  • Sleep requirements and fatigue tolerance
  • General physical and mental health
  • Dietary habits
  • Underlying illnesses or sleep disorders
  • Any medicines being taken
  • Commitments, stressors or responsibilities outside of work that could impact sleeping

 

 

 

 

 

 

The serious health and safety implications of fatigue

 

Sleep is important for maintaining healthy body and brain function. Depriving sleep is depriving the body and brain of time to rest and recover. This can lead to potentially harmful health and safety impacts, such as:

 

  • Accidents and fatalities: Impairment in cognitive function and performance can lead to an increase in errors and bad judgement, which can prove fatal in certain circumstances. For example, driver fatigue is the main contributing factor to fatal single heavy vehicle crashes in Australia.

 

  • Mental health conditions: Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression can contribute to fatigue, and they can also be heightened by fatigue.

 

  • Chronic conditions and infections: Sleep deprivation hinders the body’s ability to regulate functions such as blood pressure, cholesterol and the immune system. This can lead to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. It can also make someone more susceptible to infections and illness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An all-encompassing fatigue risk management system

 

Fatigue may be a greater risk for certain work environments and work activities, but under WHS/OHS law all persons conducting a business or undertaking need to manage the risks of fatigue.

 

 

Below we take you through managing fatigue from a work level and individual level. Most of this is from current regulatory guidance, however we also present recommendations from two research sources.

 

Identifying fatigue-related hazards

You can identify existing and potential causes of fatigue from several sources, including but not limited to:

 

  • Workers, managers, supervisors and Health and Safety Representatives: Discuss aspects such as workloads, work pressures, work habits, sleep requirements, external pressures, among other things.

 

  • Systems of work and workplace culture: Examine aspects such as work schedules, rest and recovery periods, interaction with other health and safety risks, incentives for people to work longer hours, the ability for workers to choose their own work pace or break times, among other things.

 

  • Incident data and employee records: Analyse trends in occurrence and type of workplace incidents and workers compensation claims, and rates of absenteeism and sick leave, among other things.

 

Assessing fatigue-related risks

A risk assessment on the identified causes helps determine factors such as who is more at risk, if the risk is work-related or external, the degree of harm, among other things.

 

A review done by La Trobe University, on behalf of Safe Work Australia, on managing the risks associated with fatigue recommends organisation include long-term health impacts in addition to performance risks in their assessment.

 

 

 

 

 

Implementing control measures to manage fatigue

Effectively managing the hazards and risks associated with fatigue may require changing the work environment or the way work is done, including but not limited to:

 

  • Redesigning work schedules and shift rosters: Limit consecutive night shifts or assign higher work demands in the middle of the shift.

 

  • Reducing job demands: Install plant, machinery or equipment to reduce physical fatigue or provide worker support groups for those dealing with psychosocial hazards.

 

  • Improving work conditions: Provide well-lit environments to aid wakefulness during night shifts or limit exposure to extreme temperatures.

 

  • Implementing information and training: Educate workers, managers and supervisors on the causes and signs of fatigue and best practices for recuperating when at home.

 

Proposed refocus of control development

The Hierarchy of Controls is a useful framework for managing physical safety risks, but it can be ineffective for managing psychosocial risks, including fatigue. For some work types, such as shift work, the causes of fatigue are inherent to the work making elimination impossible. La Trobe University suggests “optimisation”, i.e. making the best of the situation, as an appropriate goal for fatigue management.

 

 

A panel of experts presenting on managing shift work and fatigue second this sentiment. Their recommendation (in relation to shift work) is to develop control measures that allow fatigued workers to perform their job in the safest manner. This entails fostering a work culture that accepts and acknowledges fatigue, and encourages an open dialogue between all parties regarding sleep-deprivation.

 

 

This culture of honesty can then allow employers to develop more practical and individual-specific control measures, i.e. aligning shifts to individual sleep rhythms or having sanctioned napping at work. It can also inform managers and supervisors to effectively regulate work tasks for the fatigued worker.

 

 

 

 

 

Monitoring and review of fatigue risk management system

Fatigue management should be an ongoing process, as the cause of fatigue can fluctuate. Your fatigue risk management needs to support regular hazard identification, risk assessments and control development, along with monitoring and review of current risk controls.

 

 

 

References