Feeling tired at work isn’t just a problem for performance quality, but also a major hazard for worker health and safety. The dangers of drowsiness in the workplace go beyond yawning behind a computer and forgetting to send an email. In industries most associated with long, irregular hours—healthcare, construction, emergency services—the costs of employee fatigue are hazardous and potentially fatal. Both employees and employers should understand the importance of quality sleep in creating a safe and productive workplace.
Causes
Various factors contribute to tired employees. Too little sleep, poor sleep quality, demanding tasks, and long, extended, or irregular work shifts are just some of the elements that result in sleepy, inattentive, and unalert workers. In urgent, challenging, or essential jobs, even minor drowsiness is a major impediment to crucial functions.
Certain industries operate on extended work shift schedules that produce and exacerbate employee exhaustion. This includes healthcare, construction, emergency services, transportation, hospitality, and many more high-risk work environments where sleep deprivation can be critically dangerous.
Effects
According to the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, worker fatigue was a contributing factor in some of the most notable catastrophic industrial disasters “such as the 2005 Texas City BP oil refinery explosion, the 2009 Colgan Air Crash, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.”
While most of us don’t work in such high-risk environments like nuclear power plants, even everyday tasks can be catastrophic or fatal when fatigue is involved. Researchers studying the impact of overtime on occupational illnesses and injuries concluded: “Working at least 12 hours per day was associated with a 37% increased hazard rate and working at least 60 hours per week was associated with a 23% increased hazard rate.” In a 2005 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found a correlation between extended work shifts and risk of motor vehicle crashes.
The bottom line: sleep deprivation is dangerous. When combined with already risky work environments, the effects can be disastrous.
A workplace injury as a result of fatigue is potentially compensable under workers’ compensation. If you are unsure whether or not your case qualifies, your best course of action is to reach out to an experienced attorney. At Poirier Law Firm, we are experts in all types of workplace injuries and can provide direction and advice as to how to best proceed with filing a claim for worker’s compensation. Contact us today.