Fatigue is a significant work, health, and safety issue in Australia at the moment due to demands for heightened productivity, disrupted circadian rhythms, high workloads, long working hours, and an epidemic of insufficient sleep say industry and social commentators. Unfortunately, fatigue in our workforce will only increase as societal and social demands continue to expand.
In a work context, fatigue is mental and/or and physical exhaustion which causes an individual to have a reduced ability to perform their job in a safe and adequate manner. Fatigue can have many adverse effects on a workplace including increasing the risk of accidents and injuries and causing significant long term health effects for those affected, leading to absenteeism and high staff turnover.
In The University of Melbourne’s 2023 State of the Future of Work Report, it was found that in the middle of last year the general state of Australian workers health, both physically and mentally, was worse than before the COVID pandemic. Prime aged workers (25 – 55 years of age) were the most affected. Surveys conducted for the purpose of this report uncovered that prime aged workers were generally feeling exhausted, were struggling to concentrate, and had less motivation at work due to increased societal pressures.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom going forward. There are many ways you can help reduce the effects of fatigue in your business.
The following five step process can be followed by your business to reduce, if not eliminate, the impacts of fatigue in the workplace.
1. Identify potential risks in your workplace that may increase the risk of or cause fatigue by consulting with workers, reviewing data and examining current practices.
2. Systematically assessing the risks factors of fatigue.
3. Control any risks by ideally eliminating the risk of fatigue altogether or if this isn’t possible, implement other controls such providing additional training, isolating vulnerable workers from potential risk or substituting a current procedure with another.
4. Implement a policy of education, training and information as the more workers know about the risk factors of fatigue and the impact it has on the organisation, the more likely they will be to implement the control measures.
5. Regularly monitor and review the efficiency of the fatigue control measures and revaluate when needed.
For more information about fatigue and workers at highest risk of fatigue, visit SafeWork SA’s information sheet here.
