Having recently read a study in the dangers of Fatigue in the workplace I thought I would write a short blog looking at the 10 deadly signs of fatigue. This is a guide to the employer how to look out for fatigue among your workforce.

So firstly, what are the causes of fatigue?

Inadequate sleep – this might seem obvious but most adults don’t have the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night

Not enough time to sleep – extended working hours, irregular working hours, shift work, having more than one job can all impact on sleep and these factors are becoming increasingly more regular as people put money over health.

Poor quality sleep – workplace stress can often lead to sleep disordersShift work – this upsets natural sleep rhythms

What are the symptoms you’re likely to spot amongst your workforce?

• Irritability, well more than usual

• less conversational, or less clear in communication with co workers

• Reduced attention span, more easily distracted

• Slower reactions, clumsiness, poorer hand-eye coordination, reduced manual skill

• Slower thinking

• Reduced short-term memory, forgetful

• Inability to handle large amounts of information under time pressure, losing ‘the big picture’

• Cutting corners to get the job finished

• Poor judgment of distance, speed or time

• Increased risk-taking

If you spot any of these symptoms what can you do as an employer to cut down on fatigue? There is, of course, an element of responsibility that falls with the employee to look after their own health but as an employer it is important to have an efficient, focussed workforce. There is also a Health and Safety point of view especially if your workforce are operating heavy machinery or are in charge of vehicles.

• Length of shifts – take account of the physical and mental load of the work when determining shift length

• Distribution of leisure time – allow for rest and recovery – for instance if an employee works 4 long shifts in a row perhaps they should have a long weekend?

• Regularity of shift system – allow your staff to prepare for work

• Previous hours and days worked – Analyse how many hours an employee has done in the previous month. The effects of fatigue are cumulative – workers may have sleep debt due to the length of previous shifts

• Type of work being performed – will work tasks be physically or mentally demanding?

• Time of day work is being performed – arrange work so that high risk tasks are scheduled at the times when workers are performing at their best, outside body clock low points – generally the human brain is at its peak 2 hours after waking from sleep.

• Breaks – the length of breaks needs to match the length of shift and the effort demanded by the work.

These are just a few ways you can monitor and try to minimise fatigue among your workforce. For more information on analysing shift patterns and absences visit out Time and Attendance section. 

Do you have any advice on how to manage fatigue in the workplace?