Shared responsibility in worker fatigue

Sleep is a hot topic of conversation around here – more often than not, “lack of”. In these times, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in our 24 hour clock to get things done. To illustrate, in college, I found sleep an inconvenience. I had too much on the go but in the end, I suffered for it. I’m not alone. Shift workers, business owners, and top executives, right down the ladder to junior assistants are all “getting by” on less sleep due to overtime hours and personal priorities. This translates into poor health, slower productivity, irritability and stress at home and in the workplace, reduced work quality, and accidents – sometimes fatal. For organizations, this can be extremely costly (more later).

I’ve talked about taking responsibility to get more sleep – but after reading The Myths & Realities of Fatigue, an article produced by Circadian, I realize now that organizations need to share the responsibility with workers in addressing worker fatigue. The article touches on some great points on the factors that contribute to worker fatigue but what it boils down to is an understanding, both from management and workers, of human physiology and sleep requirements to address the issue of human errors caused by fatigue. Here are some of the highlights for me in the article:

• Shift worker fatigue is caused by four operationally driven factors:
  • Circadian (body clock) – being awake when you should be asleep, and vice versa as well as frequently changing your sleep cycles.
  • Sleep factors (inability to get consistent, normal hours and quality of sleep)
  • Work and Environment factors (early start times, fast rotating schedules, monotonous tasks or work environment)\
  • Health factors (sleep disorders, health problems, unhealthy lifestyles)
• Global costs of fatigue (accidents, lost productivity and health care) adds up to $508 billion.
• After committing to reducing fatigue and thus increasing productivity and safety, management needs to develop a fatigue risk management plan that involves educating all stakeholders (supervisors, union, etc.) as well as provide training and support to workers.

The article is a good read and very to the point. If you want more information on the article, contact Circadian at 781-439-6300 or email them at info@circadian.com. You can visit their website at www.circadian.com

Sweet dreams