How to recognise and combat fatigue

Fatigue is more than feeling drowsy; it is a state of exhaustion, which can be both mental and physical. In this article, Site Safe explains how to recognise and combat fatigue on the building site.

Fatigue reduces a person’s ability to do their job safely and decreases performance and productivity. It is often caused by several combined factors, including:

• The demands of work.
• Work scheduling and planning.
• Environmental conditions.
• Dehydration: symptoms of which include cracked lips, flushed face, dizziness, cramps, or headaches.
• Drugs/alcohol/medication.
• The type of work activity: such as a noisy environment or using vibrating tools.
• Poor diet.
• Lack of exercise.
• Disrupted sleep.
• Poor emotional wellbeing or stress.

Identifying fatigue as a risk

To determine if fatigue could be a hazard at work, it’s vital to recognise mood quality, alertness, drowsiness, task performance, and level of focus. To assess the risk, ask yourself and record:
• Who is likely to be at risk of fatigue and where?
• How often is fatigue likely to occur?
• What degree of harm could it cause?
• Are any existing control measures effective?
• What action should be taken to control and monitor the risk of fatigue in yourself and others?
• How urgently is the control needed?

Signs of fatigue

There are several behavioural indicators to look out for in staff who may be struggling with fatigue:
• Bad mood: Irritable, uncommunicative, frustrated, disengaged, late for or not showing up for work.
• Lack of alertness: Slurred speech, rubbing eyes, yawning, appears tired.
• Substandard performance: Cuts corners, takes risks, clumsy, forgetful, makes mistakes, poor decision-making and judgement.
• Lack of focus: Loses the big picture, misses warning signs, fixed gaze, blurred vision.

Preventing fatigue

1. Work scheduling and planning
   • Take regular breaks and consider extra breaks if the work is demanding.
   • If your crew needs to work longer hours, consider staggered start and finish times, and longer breaks and periods off work.
   • Think about how you schedule your work – a person’s ability to be alert is not constant throughout the day. For most people, low points occur between 3pm and 5pm. During these times, try to avoid doing tricky or dangerous jobs.
   • Monitor and place limits around overtime and avoid incentives to work too many hours.
   • Try to create a positive environment with good relationships.
2. Mental and physical demands of work
   • Use the right tools and resources for the job.
   • Use low-vibration hand-held tools and, where practical, install low-vibration seats in machinery.
   • Rotate tasks between workers.
   • Ensure your team stays hydrated and avoids caffeinated drinks.
   • Make sure workloads and deadlines are realistic.
3. Environmental conditions
   • Avoid working during extreme heat or cold.
   • Provide shelter and facilities for breaks.
4. Get enough sleep
   You should aim for between 7.5 to 8.5 hours a night. But to work out your optimal sleep time, try the following on your next holiday:
   • Put your alarm clock away and wake up naturally for at least two days to overcome cumulative sleep loss.
   • For the next three to four days, write down how many hours you sleep.
   • Divide the total number of hours you have slept by the number of days – this is how much sleep you need to maintain optimal alertness, performance, and wellbeing.
5. Get the whole Team on board
   Develop a fatigue policy, which includes details on the maximum shift length, average weekly hours, and travel time. Make sure everyone is aware of the policy, how to recognise fatigue, and how to report risks and incidents.

A fatigue calculator may be used as a guide to calculate and identify early risks of fatigue. You can find an example here: www.nzta.govt.nz/legacy/fatigue/index.html?original=/safety/driving-safely/fatigue/fatigue-resources/fatigue-calculator/

Site Safe is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that supports a culture of health and safety in New Zealand construction. For more information go to: www.sitesafe.org.nz