Worker fatigue: A hazard you can’t afford to ignore

Earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a final accident report with conclusions about the probable cause of the March 2022 incident in which a Caltrain commuter train struck three Hi-Rail construction vehicles. The NTSB found that the worker in charge had erroneously released track occupancy protection, a critical safety protocol, which left equipment and workers unprotected on the main track.

The report states that the error was “due to degraded performance from [the worker’s] excessive workload.” Although the worker didn’t report being fatigued at the time of the accident, the NTSB determined that the worker’s schedule would likely lead to fatigue in workers in general—in the days leading up to the collision, the worker had worked 7 consecutive days, with shifts of 11 to 14 hours.

As a result of the incident, 8 people were sent to the hospital, 3 construction vehicles were destroyed, and a fire ignited and spread to one of the Caltrain cars. The estimated property damage exceeded $1.4 million.

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is the feeling of tiredness with low or lack of energy that interferes with normal daily activities. In workplaces, it decreases long term productivity and increases the risk of accidents and injuries. While the focus has traditionally been on shift workers, it can affect all employees.

Additional risk factors for worker fatigue include:

• Working high-risk hours (early morning or late night),
• Physically or mentally demanding jobs,
• Long shifts,
• Long weeks, and
• Sleep loss.

Consequences

Sleep is a vital factor in overall health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) recommend adults get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night.

However, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), 40% of workers in the United States get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Chronic insufficient sleep is linked to medical conditions like depression, obesity, and heart disease.

In the workplace, fatigue can affect an employee on multiple levels, with a range of consequences.

According to the NSC, there are three levels of fatigue:

• Decreased cognitive performance. Fatigue causes decreases in vigilance, attention, memory, and concentration.
• Microsleeps. Also known as nodding off, microsleeps put employees at risk if they’re performing a safety-critical task, such as driving a truck or operating dangerous equipment.
• Increased safety risk. Decreased cognitive performance combined with microsleeps inhibits an employee’s ability to perform at a safe level, which can lead to accidents and injuries.

Fatigue in the workplace can also have serious financial consequences for your organization. Accidents and injuries caused by worker fatigue can result in time away from work and high repair costs due to damaged equipment or property.

Fatigue management

Workplace fatigue should be addressed with the same types of safety management methods that an organization uses to address overall safety. However, this can be difficult because fatigue affects every individual differently, and the effects can vary from day to day. To help organizations minimize risk in the workplace, the NSC has developed a fatigue risk management plan (FRMP).

The FRMP contains the following elements:

• Education and training. Employees and supervisors must receive expert-led sleep health training on the risks of fatigue, how to manage fatigue, and strategies to get proper rest. Sleep health education should be considered part of annual, recurrent, or new hire training.
• Policies and practices. Organizations must have a point of contact within the company who is designated to deal with fatigue management, and policies must be developed for both work and rest schedules. Policies may include redesigning work schedules, with limits on night shifts, early morning shifts, and work hours. Scheduling policies should include conditions for minimum periods of time off duty to allow employees to get quality sleep.
• Shared responsibility. Employers and employees must both take responsibility for fatigue management. Employers must schedule shifts appropriately, educate and communicate with employees, and allow them to report fatigue without fear of discipline. In return, employees must do what’s necessary to report to work rested and fit for duty, know their limits, and report fatigue using the mechanisms set up by the employer.
• Fatigue mitigation. There are environmental controls employers can put in place to reduce fatigue, such as ensuring the workplace has bright lighting, a moderate temperature, and low noise levels. Other ways to improve alertness include having a brief period of physical activity, taking a 10- to 20-minute power nap, and scheduling regular short breaks.
• Data-driven programs and continuous improvement. The fatigue management plan works best when it’s data-driven and strives for improvement. Employers can gather data by monitoring and reporting fatigue risk levels over time and by evaluating accidents to determine if fatigue played a role in the incident. Employers also need to seek feedback from employees on the effectiveness of fatigue mitigation methods. Employees can fill out surveys with questions like “What mitigation strategies work best?” and “What adds to your fatigue?”

If your organization has shift workers or employees working consecutive days of extra-long shifts, fatigue is a hazard you can’t leave unaddressed. If you don’t already have one in place, begin implementing an FRMP to increase the safety and wellness of your workers.