Disaster Recovery - Fatigue
What is fatigue?
Fatigue is a physical and/or mental state caused by over-exertion. It can lead to impaired strength, speed, reaction time, coordination, decision making, or balance.
Fatigue is not only caused by physical work and long working hours but also by the stress caused by events such as a natural disaster.
Do not underestimate the effect that a disaster can have on your mental state and that of family, employees and friends.
What happens when we are tired?
Fatigue leads to human errors, poor performance and also affects health.
Fatigue is associated with people feeling tired, being less vigilant, and therefore more likely to injure themselves, and become sick.
Long work hours can lead to people getting less sleep, eating less or skipping meals and not drinking enough which leads to dehydration. Ongoing lack of sleep can affect cardiovascular health, mental health, safety and productivity.
How do we recover from fatigue?
The only way to recover from fatigue is to get adequate sleep, rest, proper meals and fluids.
The average amount of sleep needed to be healthy and alert is between seven and nine hours a night.
At least two consecutive full nights' sleep with a normal day between is recommended in each week.
If you are an employer you need to identify whether fatigue is a hazard in your workplace and consider the following in order to manage it:
- Making sure your staff take regular rest breaks
- Being aware of the times when people are most likely to be affected by fatigue such as early morning, after heavy physical activity and toward the end of the day
- Aiming to manage overtime so that employees have regular opportunities for rest
- Opportunities for rest
- If longer work days are required, considering staggered start and finish times
- If possible allowing employees longer periods off work if they need it
- Being aware of the personal circumstances of your staff and supporting them as far as possible
- Making food available where appropriate
- Providing good supervision.
If you are an employee you should:
- know how to recognise fatigue
- know how to use their recovery and rest time appropriately
- consider taking power naps during the day
- know what to eat and when
- be aware of the impact of caffeine and alcohol on sleep
- know about getting to and from work safely.
