One session at the AIHce focused on the increasingly popular topic of fatigue management. It’s a product of the 24/7 economy. It’s estimated today 40-60 percent of workers in North America find themselves in non-traditional shiftwork, and the traditional 9 to 5 worker is now in the minority.
Some senior business people skillfully and consciously manage their sleep, emerging refreshed and alert after crossing multiple time zones or working late into the night. Yet we all know caffeinated and careworn executives who, after hours of wakeful slumber, struggle to recall simple facts, seem disengaged and uninspired, lack patience with others, and can’t think through problems or reach clear-cut decisions.
Are you getting enough quality sleep? Are you sleeping longer than you should? Poor sleep habits may put you at higher risk for early signs of heart disease when compared to those who get adequate, good quality sleep, according to a study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
If we have properly engaged leadership and stakeholders, and gone through a rigorous assessment, we should have a fairly clear picture of the size and shape of our fatigue problem. This makes defining our set of solutions a bit simpler.
Fewer than 1 in 5 middle and high schools in the U.S. began the school day at the recommended 8:30 AM start time or later during the 2011-2012 school year, according to data published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A study of French railroad workers was cited at a session Monday of the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo in Salt Lake City, a session looking to increase EHS professionals’ understanding of occupational medicine issues.
“The problem for me became very severe and my head nurse actually called me into her office to discuss it… it had gotten to the point where I was so chronically sleep-deprived that I was falling asleep while I was trying to report off to the on-coming shift. So, I’m sitting there talking about very complicated medical issues, and in the middle of a sentence, I would nod-off."
Working non-standard hours -- often called "shift work" -- for many years is not only hard on the body, but may also dull the mind, new research suggests. According to the study, those who do shift work for more than 10 years seem to have the equivalent of an extra 6.5 years of age-related decline in memory and thinking skills.
Before you blame the worker, or even the PPE itself for some workplace incident, consider that the worker may be sleep deprived. Often, when a worker is confronted for violating a policy, he or she will shrug and say, “I forgot.” Many safety professionals are realizing that human errors, behavioral drift and even recklessness can be traced to a growing threat to workplace safety –a lack of sleep.
