Awareness of the impact worker fatigue can have on safety, productivity and health is beginning to spread, as employers look at the additional costs that may be imposed through workers' compensation and health insurance, accidents and lowered efficiency.
Some still confuse fatigue with a lack of sleep, not realizing that the former is a result of mental and physical effort that does not necessarily require sleepiness, Human Resource Executive Online reports. They may contribute to each other or share common causes, but are not identical. Employers may find that workers draw less on medical expense reimbursement plans and other types of coverage when not fatigued as well as showing stronger efficiency and productivity.
"There is a growing recognition of the role of fatigue management in enhancing safety in the workplace," Dr. Steve Lerman told HREO. "Most of the attention to this issue has historically been focused on the transportation industries. However, the focus is now expanding to other industries."
Lerman and other experts have noted that companies' efforts to combat fatigue through regulations and guidelines regarding duty hours may be insufficient. A complete strategy to manage fatigue risks and reduce its impact should involve appropriate scheduling, distribution of work, retention of sufficient staff and possibly addressing sleep disorders. Fatigue monitoring and management can be complemented with education and training to help workers stay healthy, the experts told the news source.
