Fatigue: A WHS Issue
Fatigue is often described as feeling tired and drowsy, caused by not enough sleep but it is much more than this. It is also short or long term exhaustion which results in reduced capacity to function. Employers have a duty of care to recognise and control workplace risks, including fatigue.
Fatigue can be caused by:
Work Schedules eg lack of breaks, long hours, working hours when the body clock is used to sleeping.
Job demands eg emotional/mentally draining jobs or highly physical work.
Work environment eg remote or isolated work, poor work accommodation or poor physical work environment.
Personal and family circumstance.
The most common signs of fatigue to look for are:
Stressed behaviour.
Lack of concentration.
Lower productivity.
Increased absenteeism.
Poor communication.
Unmotivated.
Disengaged.
Making poor decisions.
Safe Work Australia has recently released an infographic which outlines how fatigue impacts WHS and how you can manage the risks.