Fatigue in the workplace is a very real risk and a highly dangerous hazard.
Whether it’s shift workers on their feet all night in the pack house or line haul truck drivers behind the wheel, fatigue is a serious safety threat.
It slows reaction times, clouds judgment and increases the risk of mistakes that can lead to costly or even tragic outcomes.
Understanding what fatigue looks like, and just as importantly, what it feels like, is essential. When we can recognise the warning signs early, we can step in before an incident or tragic accident happens.
1. Slower Reaction Times
If a team member is noticeably slower to successfully complete everyday tasks or less alert around potential hazards, it may be a sign they’re experiencing fatigue.
In New Zealand we tend to think that continuously busting your guts on site to prove your worth to the boys or staying later and later in the office is a good thing. It isn’t when it starts to cause stress and fatigue.
That guy driving an approximately 30 tonne mixer truck who’s been hard at it at work and who’s showing signs of fatigue through poor driving habits (e.g. lane deviation), is literally an accident waiting to happen.
Minimise the risk by creating a safety culture that makes sure regular breaks are a priority, supports wellbeing both on and off the job and encourages open conversations about fatigue before it becomes more serious.
2. Poor Concentration and Forgetfulness
If you’re noticing someone making mistakes more than the norm and they look like they’re having real trouble focusing on the job, it could be a sign of fatigue.
This brain fog situation in the workplace can cause:
- Poor decision making
- Inability to recognise obvious hazards and risks in the job task
- Delayed reactions that can lead to injuries and sometimes serious ones
- Poor communication
- Poor work quality
Carry out fatigue assessments alongside your normal operational checks, ask the team how they’re feeling and continuously look out for any warning signs of fatigue.
3. Irritability and Mood Changes
Irritability, short temper and moodiness are very hard to ignore and they are some of the signs of fatigue.
This has an impact on team morale that impacts overall performance.
No one likes to work in an environment that feels tense and like you’re walking on eggshells. Performance drops, mood drops, team spirit disappears and now you have more than a fatigue problem on your hands.
Show your team you care and educate them on how to recognise fatigue in themselves and others. Quite often we confuse fatigue with tiredness but it’s more than that. Encouraging everyone to speak up and say something without waiting for an accident or incident to happen is all about risk assessment and management. Recognise the signs early on.
4. Physical Signs of Tiredness
Are you noticing someone yawning frequently, struggling to stay alert or unsteady on their feet? These can all be signs of fatigue, or something else going on, such as poor health.
Even worse is what’s called micro sleeps which are brief periods of sleep lasting a few seconds. You may have experienced this sitting at home on the couch so just imagine how dangerous this is sitting behind a steering wheel?
Fatigue can have serious consequences and needs to be managed like any other hazard. If you’re managing a night crew for example, review your rostering to ensure staff are getting enough rest and down time between shifts.
5. Increased Near Misses or Errors
If you’ve noticed:
- More mistakes happening
- Spike in close calls and incidents
These are alarm bells that could show fatigue is a contributing factor.
What you can do is to first recognise the signs, speak up and put steps in place to improve the situation and eliminate the risk of dangerous fatigue in the workplace.
If you need help with your fatigue management, get in touch. I’ve had a lot of hands on, practical experience working with packhouse operators right through to logistics operations. Don’t ignore the signs.
An example of a workplace accident caused by fatigue:
Fatigue led to cruise vessel impacting Doubtful Sound mountainside
Reference: Transport Accident Investigation Commission
“The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has found that the cruise vessel Fiordland Navigator ran aground in Doubtful Sound on 24 January 2024.
It is virtually certain the fatigued master fell asleep at the helm. TAIC’s final report identifies key safety gaps in fatigue management, medical fitness monitoring and risk controls for sole charge masters.
The vessel, carrying nine crew and 57 passengers, sustained moderate damage. Several people suffered minor injuries, but the crew responded effectively, evacuating passengers to Deep Cove and then Te Anau that evening.
TAIC’s Chief Investigator of Accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam, says workload induced fatigue was at the centre of the circumstances and causes of the accident”
