Sleep deprivation causing risks at work

Risk management is critical in curbing workplace fatigue, according to one specialist who pointed out that some of the worst environmental and travel disasters of the past few decades have been ascribed at least partly to sleep deprivation in the workplace. Dr Denis Cronson was discussing fighting workplace fatigue at this year’s A-OSH EXPO, Africa’s occupational safety and health exhibition. Dr Cronson mentioned some deadly global examples. These included the Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska in 1989; the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986; a train disaster in Canada in 2001, when two Canadian National trains crashed into each other, spilling 3,000 gallons of diesel; and the deadly crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009, which killed all 228 people on board. He said these might be extreme examples but they showed how deadly sleep deprivation in the workplace can be and not only for the person who is sleep deprived. Dr Cronson said: “Fighting fatigue in the workplace is a contemporary issue in workplaces around the country. An acute and ongoing state of tiredness leads to mental and physical exhaustion and prevents people from functioning within normal boundaries. “By law, employers have an obligation to establish the risk that fatigue that represents, try to eliminate or reduce fatigue in the workplace, and provide a workplace that is safe and without risk to the health of the employees. It is a part of basic health and safety conditions.” Dr Cronson explained key contributing factors to fatigue at work include the scheduling of the times the employee is required to work; the duration of the working time; mental and physical exhaustion; environmental factors such as heat cold or excessive vibration; and individual factors that come into play from the person’s lifestyle. He added: “We know that excessive alcohol consumption leads to performance impairment, significantly slowing reaction time and distorting vision. It has been shown that, at the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.05g of alcohol per 100 ml, an individual is four times more likely to be in an accident. “When you have been awake for 20 hours, it is as though you are at double the legal limit. Fatigue really reduces your ability to concentrate, make decisions, recognise risks and communicate effectively – it really raises the risk of accidents.” Dr Cronson said a practical risk management approach is important, in which the hazards need to be assessed and the risks managed. “Consultation is critically important in the workplace, among employers, employees and health and safety representatives and committees. “This consultation process becomes especially important in the case of a near miss. A risk assessment needs to show where employees are at risk of becoming impaired by fatigue, who they are and how many of them, how often this could happen and the degree of harm that would result. A risk management schedule needs to be set in place, hazards identified and risks assessed. Thereafter, risk control processes can be set up.” He outlined a number of practical considerations in setting up fatigue management plans in the workplace, concluding: “The implementation of a fatigue management plan in the workplace has the potential to reduce employee fatigue or its causes, reduce the further likelihood of fatigue occurring in the workplace, and counteract the effects of fatigue when it does occur. Fatigue management systems need to identify the hazards of fatigue, assess the risks and implement control measures, and monitor and review the effectiveness of the fatigue management plan.”

Sleep deprivation causing risks at work

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