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Five ways to fight workplace fatigue

Workers commonly struggle on the job with fatigue; here's what to do about it.

 

 

By Scott DeBow, CSP/ARM, safety practice leader of risk management and insurance, Randstad US

So much for "sleep is for the weak." As it pertains to the effects of fatigue and workforce management, a National Safety Council study found that 97 percent of workers demonstrate at least one workplace fatigue risk factor -- and more than 80 percent are guilty of two or more. Businesses must understand the latent and interwoven risk this poses, especially when considering the effects of fatigue on your cognitive abilities while on the job. Exhaustion can impair our ability to follow simple procedures, provide timely responses to new or unexpected hazards, and make good decisions. Just as engineering practices require us to manage structural fatigue on cranes, rigging, and other safety-critical areas, workplace fatigue is becoming a top priority for organizations to address.

We've put together a few tips to help you spot the signs of fatigue in your workforce and consider a few strategies to combat it.

The dangers of workplace fatigue
Fatigue can pose a threat to your health both on and off the job. For starters, it makes you more susceptible to getting injured at work. As tiredness sets in and your concentration wanes, you become more prone to making mistakes. For example, 18 hours with no sleep has a similar effect on the body as a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent -- more than halfway to the legal limit. For workers in safety-critical roles like equipment and forklift operations, that slight dip in focus and concentration could be all it takes to set the stage for an incident. Work performed in complex, dynamic environments requires two things: appropriate skill level and sustainable focus. Fatigue diminishes the ability of an able worker, and relying on skill alone isn't enough to manage workplace risks.

Fatigue can rear its ugly head in more ways than just making you feel tired, so if you've been working a lot or haven't been sleeping well, watch out for other signs of slowing down, like:

• depression
• giddiness
• headaches
• irritability
• lack of motivation
• loss of appetite
• digestive problems
• diminished alertness, concentration, and memory

Over time, chronic fatigue can take its toll beyond just decreasing your focus, putting you at greater risk of contracting conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. That's why it's important to start taking corrective measures now to avoid developing more serious issues down the line.

1. Get at least seven hours of solid shut-eye
It's no secret: The best way to combat workplace fatigue is to get more sleep. Thirty-five percent of Americans fall short of the recommended seven hours. To make matters worse, sleep debt accumulates with each passing night you don't hit that seven-hour benchmark, making it even harder to eventually dig yourself out of the hole and get your body back to a healthy, restful state. Sleep needs vary from person to person. You may have heard that eight hours a night is optimal, or maybe seven or maybe nine. The truth is it's a range between all three, so find what works best for you. A helpful tip for those who have trouble falling asleep is to turn off all screens at least an hour before you plan to retire for the evening. The blue light that emanates from our phones, TVs, and computers raises our alertness, and can even delay the release of melatonin, the key hormone that regulates sleep.

2. Be realistic about your schedule
If you've started taking steps to improve your sleep schedule -- congratulations! You're on the road to more focus and energy at work and better long-term health. But until your body catches up, you may be wondering what you should be doing on a daily basis to keep your fatigue levels in check at work. Having the ability to work overtime or take on shifts outside normal working hours can be a great way to earn extra money, but taking on too many in addition to your normal schedule can be a recipe for disaster. In fact, working just four more hours than the standard eight can increase your risk of injury by 37 percent. According to the NSC, time of day also plays a factor. Night-shift work was found to increase the risk of injuries and accidents by 30 percent. Provide awareness of these risks to develop solid business practices built around the needs of your workforce that you can learn and grow from.

3. When you do work, take breaks ...
And we're not just talking about lunch. Injury risk has been found to decrease 50 percent after a break of any duration, so how should you manage this with regards to the jobs, tasks, and work requirements at your company? For example, do your policies adequately address fatigue for safety-critical positions like driving? If they don't, it's something to seriously consider, as NSC data shows there were nearly 48,000 transportation-related incidents in just 2017 alone.

There are a number of variables that culminate in these incidents, but they all share the same underlying, primary symptom of fatigue. A simple change like providing hourly "micro breaks" throughout the day could give your employees a burst of energy and reset their focus on critical tasks.

4. ... and when you take breaks, eat
Pair each of your short breaks with a small snack, too. It's better to eat many small meals throughout the day rather than three large ones to keep fatigue at bay. And whatever you end up eating, wash it down with water. Fatigue is one of the first signs of dehydration, so keep yourself well hydrated -- even if your job doesn't require a lot of physical labor -- to keep those energy levels high.

5. Find what works for you
Finally, examine the specificities of your day-to-day work environment to find the right fatigue-fighting strategies for you. For example, static postures such as standing alongside production lines or even seated workstations need variation and adjustability. Consider ergonomic approaches like job enlargement (variety) or consider sit/stand options. If you find yourself moving more or you're out on the floor for long periods of time, outfit yourself with comfortable footwear, and utilize shock-absorbing mats in key areas to reduce stress on your back, legs, and feet.

While these are a few examples to get you thinking in the right direction, conducting a proper Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) specific to the hazards and environment where work is performed should precede any change efforts, as it provides a higher level of understanding of the sources of risk experienced. Foster alignment through your JHA by engaging stakeholders from your risk and safety teams, human resources, operations, insurance, and legal departments to consider other viewpoints and hidden opportunities to manage risk exposure and liability. Also, utilizing the NSC's Fatigue Calculator can help frame the opportunity from perspectives of absenteeism, decreased productivity, and healthcare costs.

If you'd like to do even more, examine the established safety policies and procedures at your workplace to see if your employer has built an environment that considers and manages the ways that fatigue affects your workforce. When everyone's on the same page about safety, you stand a greater chance of reducing incidents across the board.

About the author:
Scott DeBow, a board-certified safety professional, serves as the safety practice leader for Randstad North America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding N.V., a global provider of HR services. He has 19 years of progressive leadership experience in Occupational Safety & Health and is a military veteran.

Published June 2019

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