The National Safety Council’s paper “Managing Fatigue: Developing an Effective Fatigue Risk Management System” emphasizes that worker fatigue can have a negative impact on the workplace and can increase the risk of accidents and injuries at work. The paper highlights ways that employees and employers can mitigate the risks and improve productivity, safety and health. These fatigue risk management systems may help prevent some of the estimated 13 percent of workplace injuries that can be attributed to sleep problems.

According to the NSC, fatigued worker productivity costs employers $1,200 to $3,100 per employee annually. The risks for those who drive as part of their work are significant too – drivers are three times more likely to be in a crash if they are fatigued. Chronic sleep-deprivation can also lead to depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.

The paper suggests that employers and employees develop a plan and identify fatigue risks. Other parts of a fatigue risk management system include education and training, policies and practices, shared responsibility, fatigue mitigation, and data-driven programs and continuous improvement. Employees and employers should work together on this issue, to help employees “buy-in”.

Components of the education segment might include things like sleep health education, sleep disorder screening and tracking fatigue systems. Policies and practices might include daily and weekly work limits, limits on night or early morning shifts and compensatory rest periods. Fatigue management should be a shared responsibility between employers and employees, and employers can do things to mitigate fatigue such as providing bright lighting, clean air and a moderate temperature as well as designated break areas. A data-driven program will allow for continuous improvement on the program.

Employers can also invest in fatigue management tools like scheduling software and simple risk assessment tools.

Read the paper here and find more fatigue related resources from NSC.