1. Fatigue Awareness

2. What is fatigue?
Reduced mental and physical functioning caused by sleep deprivation and/or being awake during normal sleep hours. This may result from extended work hours, insufficient opportunities for sleep, failure to use available sleep opportunities, or the effects of sleep disorders, medical conditions or pharmaceuticals which reduce sleep or increases sleepiness.

3. What can cause fatigue? The main factors are: Loss of sleep
“Acute sleep loss” – not obtaining our required sleep for one night e.g. 5hrs instead of usual 8hrs.
“Cumulative sleep loss” – having 6hrs sleep instead of usual 8hrs over several days.
Poor quality sleep
Long working works – excessive Over Time, second/third job
Being tired is seen as a “badge of honour”/tough
Shift workers, particularly those with a rotating shift

4. What are the main effects fatigue?
Significant Incidents:
Research has shown fatigue to contribute to the risk of significant incidents in various industries, in road transport and mining.
“Microsleeps”
Brief periods of unintentional sleep (falling asleep when driving)
Significant impairment long before microsleep
Occur when we are very tired, or when conditions are right
Getting home safely – driving is one of the most high-risk situations fatigued employees
Tired drivers are estimated to cause 1 in 4 fatal crashes on motorways
Video 1: SleepyCabbie
Video 2:

5. What are the main effects fatigue?
Reduced Performance:
Decision errors:
Perception of risk changes - failure to recognize risk
Poor decision making
More difficult to take in and act on information
Failure to consider options
Procedural errors:
Correct intentions but flawed execution
Slowed reaction times
Periods of delayed or no response
Forgetting to do something
Reduced accuracy of short-term memory

6. What are the main effects fatigue?
Intentional non-compliance:
Effort avoidance
Lacking energy and motivation
Taking short cuts
Poor decision making
Reduced alertness:
Vigilance and concentration levels drops
Lapses in attention
Failing to anticipate events of actions
Occasionally fall asleep at work – “mircosleep” or for several minutes

7. What are the main effects fatigue?
Changes in emotional state:
Unwilling to apply effort
Lacking energy and motivation
More quiet and withdrawn
Irritable and grumpy
Reduced ability to communicate effectively
Health:
People can be skilled at coping with fatigue, but this can increase stress or the risk of gastric disorders or other health conditions

8. Signs of fatigue
Individuals are not good at assessing how fatigued they are
They can be skilled at coping with fatigue; it becomes a norm/how they usually feel
Team Members could identify any abnormal or out of character behaviors

9. Managing fatigue is a shared responsibility
Organisational Responsibility
Individual
Responsibility
Provide employees with information and tools to enable them to manage their personal fatigue risk
Ensure shift patterns/work demands allow adequate breaks for recovery between shifts
Treat seriously all reports of fatigue brought to their notice by employees
Employees have a responsibility to inform their immediate supervisor/manager if they are not fit for work due to fatigue
Manage out of hours activities and lifestyle choices so they do not adversely affect work performance
Obtain adequate sleep between shifts

10. Summary Fatigue caused by lack off and poor quality sleep
Fatigue can reduce performance:
Decision errors
Procedural errors
Intentional non-compliance
Reduced alertness
The only way to effectively address mental fatigue to ensure adequate sleep on a regular basis.
Managing fatigue is a shared responsibility; employees have a responsibility to inform their immediate supervisor if they are not fit for work due to fatigue