Fatigue has played a key role in some of the world’s major industrial disasters including the Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska, the Challenger space shuttle disaster, the Three Mile Island crisis and the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Fatigue is a factor in up to 25% of driving accidents and is four times more likely to contribute to workplace impairment than drugs or alcohol.

Sleep restriction has become a serious problem in today’s hectic, 24/7 world.

Studies show that in Australia, 30% of adults sleep less than 6 hours per night, and 65% of adults have sleep problems at least a few nights a week.

Unfortunately, most people are poor judges of their own sleep quality and their fatigue status, so they often do not realise they need help.

Causes of fatigue

Fatigue can arise from a combination of factors:

Work-related factors:

• long hours without a break
• working at a computer for long periods of time
• working at night or during normal sleep times
• insufficient time in between working days, including working over weekends
• mentally or physically demanding work
• inadequate rest breaks

Factors outside work:

• lack of sleep and poor quality of sleep
• sleep loss
• social life
• family needs
• other employment
• travel time
• sleep disorders

Effects of fatigue

The effects of fatigue on health and work performance can be short and long-term.

In the short term, fatigue can reduce your ability to:

• concentrate
• think laterally and analytically
• make decisions
• remember and recall events and their sequences
• control emotions
• recognise risks
• communicate effectively

Fatigue can also:

• increase error rates
• reduce coordination
• slow reaction times
• increase the likelihood of accidents and injuries
• cause micro-sleeps

Long-term effects on health that are associated with fatigue may include:

• heart disease
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• gastrointestinal disorders
• depression
• anxiety
• obesity

Fatigue Risk Management Programme (FRMP)

Key components of FRMP are Fatigue Measurement and Fatigue Mitigation.

A wrist-worn device (ReadiBand™) provides individuals with their own personal fatigue risk data and company management can be provided with aggregated (de-identified) group fatigue risk data.

The information supplied by this tool forms the basis for targeted fatigue mitigation, and is followed up with post-mitigation assessments Immediate Assistants provides a Fatigue Management (Measurement and Mitigation) Programme which can be implemented by our paramedic team.

The elements of the FRMP include:

1. Fatigue Information campaign to staff and volunteers
2. Targeted cohort of 10 workers at a time given Readiband for 30 days
3. Day 14 worker returns for data download
4. Analysis of fatigue data
5. Individualised Fatigue Mitigation strategy developed for each worker and discussed
6. Day 28 worker returns for data download
7. Final Analysis of fatigue data
8. Chart data presented to management

Fatigue risk management programme collateral

Immediate Assistants has designed eight different Fatigue Posters as part of the educational material for this programme.

Any or all of these can be produced and distributed around the sites in common areas and Crib Rooms as continual reminders.