Managing Fatigue

Businesses across all industries are affected to some degree by fatigue. However, certain types of work and particular sectors have an inherently higher risk of fatigue, particularly when shift work is part of their business model.

Fatigue is more than feeling tired and drowsy. In a work context, fatigue is mental and/or physical exhaustion that reduces your ability to perform your work safely and effectively.

Signs of fatigue include:

  • tiredness even after sleep

  • reduced hand-eye coordination or slow reflexes

  • short term memory problems and an inability to concentrate

  • blurred vision or impaired visual perception

  • a need for extended sleep during days off work.

Causes of fatigue

Causes of fatigue can be work related, personal or a combination of both. They can also be short term or accumulate over time.

Work causes of fatigue might include:

  • prolonged or intense mental or physical activity

  • sleep loss and/or disruption of your internal body clock

  • organisational change

  • travel

  • exceptionally hot or cold working environments

  • work scheduling

  • excessively long shifts

  • not enough time to recover between shifts

  • strenuous jobs

  • long commuting times.

Some workers are at a high risk of fatigue because their work typically involves some or all these factors, for example:

  • shift workers

  • night workers

  • fly-in, fly-out workers

  • drive in, drive out workers

  • seasonal workers

  • on-call and call-back workers

  • emergency service workers

  • medical professionals and other health workers.

Safety and Wellbeing, Safety & Wellbeing, Workers CompensationGroundstation Pty Ltd