The feeling of drowsiness, worn out, overworked, and exhausted is not what Fatigue is all about, it is more than feeling tired. It can be an acute or chronic phase of tiredness that can lead to mental and physical exhaustion and the feared compilation that comes with is the feeling of being burned out.
Ultimately, making people unable to function well within the given boundaries. People often think of it as a disease but it is actually a symptom, meaning it can have underlying many causes. That is why it needs a proper evaluation to identify the culprit that is causing the fatigue.
In the workplace, there are just way too many triggers that can end up causing employees the feel of being tired which may end them in the zone of burn diving into that zone is pretty easy but coming out of it might take about a year or so. With this, the overall factor and the dynamic of the workplace are affected.
There are many different definitions to describe fatigue but in general, it is a state of feeling tired/exhausted, over sleepy that is a result of mental and physical stress, chronic feelings of anxiety and depression, working under a lousy environment, or harsh boss. Both internal, genetic, and environmental triggers can ignite the state of feeling fatigued.
Employee fatigue is a significant problem in today’s modern industries, due to high job demands, longer working hours, working for over 60 hours a week, alternating night and day shifts that round up costs on the sleeping schedules, cardiac rhythms, and not being able to eat and drink on time.
Since this puts the body in debt to the physical need and mental exhaustion. It is said that an average Individual should sleep at least 6 hours a day. But due to fatigue leading to more and more sleepless nights, our body slowly starts developing sleep debt that cannot be paid off over weekends.
Thus fatigue is an occupational hazard as it doesn’t cause delay in the task to be done but it puts a risk to the life and overall well-being of the Worker.
Causes Of Fatigue In The Workplace
There are many factors that can lead to a person feeling fatigued, whether they are in the workplace or not. Among these factors, a lack of sleep or fragmented sleep plays a crucial role in causing fatigue, which is particularly pertinent to industries like construction where safety is paramount, as emphasized in OSHA 30 Construction training.
Other risk factors in the construction field include night shifts, exposure to extreme weather conditions, limited time for exercise due to demanding schedules, extended travel times to and from the workplace, unfamiliar workplace dynamics, constant exposure to psychologically triggering stressors, and limited access to nutrition-rich meals.
So, in the context of OSHA 30 Construction, it’s important to recognize that there is a wide variety of causes that can contribute to fatigue, ranging from underlying medical issues to changes in lifestyle activities, and even constant feelings of emotional stress or grief. All of these factors can ultimately lead down the road to burnout, a lack of energy, and a chronic feeling of exhaustion.
The worst thing about mental health is that people don’t often talk about it nor do they get enough time to process the feeling out. As human beings every individual is unique and accepts changes at different phases, but the constant work pressure pushes the person to overcome it somehow which actually leads to a person not expressing it enough. This at a micro level doesn’t show a big picture but in the longer run it affects everything just like a dominos effect.
Have you ever heard about “Doctors Fatigue”? It is basically a work-related syndrome that healthcare professionals face that has signs of emotional and physical exhaustion, due to not giving proper care they end up having feelings of not coming up with an effective treatment plan, an increase in suicidal ideation, and depression. Well, it is bound to happen as longer stressful working hours not only put the patient’s life at risk but also the doctor’s life is at stake.
Recent studies done at Stanford School of Medicine brought in some alarming trend information of how most American healthcare professionals are suffering from doctor fatigue leads to increased workplace burnout rates and is prone to causing medical errors due to longer working hours that results in physician giving out poor quality care, patient satisfaction decreases significantly.
It might seem like a minor topic to discuss but during long working hours, people make poor diet choices. High-energy bad carbohydrate meals that are low in nutrition value. Also, quick-fixing foods like caffeinated drinks and chocolate bars only give a temporary enchantment in energy and worsen fatigue. This puts the health of the individuals at risk.
Strategies To Manage Stress And Fatigue In The Workplace
If an individual starts feeling symptoms such as constant work headache, dizziness, muscle soreness, slow response, impairment of making the right decision or choices, irritability quite easily, blurry sight, short-term memory loss, and low motivation to get their favorite tasks done, these are indeed concerning red flags that should prompt them to seek professional help.
It’s crucial, especially in high-stress work environments like those found in industries like construction, as emphasized in OSHA 30 NYC training, to recognize these warning signs.
As mentioned earlier fatigue is not a disease itself but a symptom of underlying disease etiology. So understanding what is causing the fatigue is very important.
Making a visit to the doctor is essential as they might write the appropriate blood work up to rule out the medical cause and also they might write a reference note for the individual to seek a good psychologist to understand how to overcome the mental stressor.
There are many resources like great published books, journals, guidelines, and articles available both online and offline. Not everything will work out for everybody, as we a unique individuals we understand and comprehend things differently.
So a resource that might work well for one person might not work that effectively for another. But the most important highlight is for a person to understand the state where they need help so that their condition doesn’t get bad.
A fatigue management action plan should include information from seven given important categories:
- Educate the worker regarding the signs and symptoms of fatigue and when should they seek help. It’s important to address the stakeholders the employee should go to get the help form so that they get the appropriate treatment.
- Advance planning can help the workplace be prepared for any adverse effect of the staff being overworked. That includes hiring the best support services, and specific medical training providers. Alternative measures that this includes are the services of daycare, and pet care services so that workers are at ease in their minds and can work effectively.
- Working hours and breaks– this encompasses the hours and the duration the staff has to work in a day. Along with discussing the feasibility of the night and day shift the worker needs to give in and the breaks periods they can take. When things are discussed beforehand, this will put a better mindset for the employees to work in the given time frame and make the best use of the rest period.
- Transportation– although it doesn’t seem like a huge deal on an individual level it’s a big hassle and one of the reasons that put a stressor on the person’s mind. The feeling of “I am running late” is an everyday thing no matter how early a person wakes up or manages the route well. There isn’t a surety of what the expected traffic will be the next day on the way to work. So during each meeting, if this section gets the spotlight and things are discussed with applicable strategies then it will lessen the daily stress on the individual.
- Living condition – plays a critical role in mental health too. As a living place isn’t just for taking rest but the facilities it comes with and the meal services available. Is the individual living alone or there is a sharing of the apartment?
- Rest and recuperation– meaning that the staff can have an giving time where they can take a little break to enjoy physical activities or just a walk in the park to catch some fresh air. This can help maintain the productivity level without the worker feeling drained out of fuel.
- Healthcare plans and services– they range from a doctor to a psychologist. Well-trained individuals to manage the worker’s mental and physical health. This must include a proper sleep disorder screening and management plan.
OSHA fatigue policy and guideline
According to OSHA working more than 40 hours in 168 hours is considered overtime. The Fair Labour Standard Act (FLSA) applies to a worker who works at schools, hospitals, cooks, chauffeurs, daytime workers, and babysitters.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires the employees to obey the safety hazard and health standard. The employer should limit the extended work hours to more than 8 hours and should tell the staff to go get a break and have a good meal.
The manager and the mentor should recognize the sign and symptoms of fatigue in the staff and should call them for a separate meeting to discuss the hazard the workers is putting themselves in and what they need to do next.
Aside from this, managers should work on making significant improvements in the construction of rest areas, which may work to help soothe the mind of the individual.
OSHA 10-hour training
It teaches basic safety and health information that can work for workers in construction and general firms. It is part of the OSHA Outreach Training Program, which explains the most serious workplace hazards, workers’ rights, employer responsibilities, and how an individual can file an OSHA complaint if the manager is making them overwork.
It is an online course that must be taken by all the workers of the industry. After the course is completed they receive a plastic card that must be earned before they start working. Along with that, there is a certificate that can be downloaded right after the training course is completed.
The knowledge gained helps the worker to overcome workplace injuries and they can pick the sign of them being burned out and find the best possible way to get over it before the thing gets worse.
The course is outlined with real-case studies, and interactive exercises to know the signs and symptoms of the worker’s fatigue. Once you have the card it never expires, but the workers are requested to refresh the course every 3 – 5 years so they are up to date with the latest information and management strategies.
Practicing sleep hygiene
By the name, it means healthy sleeping habits that can be maintained by working around personal and environmental factors. A lot of individuals don’t understand the sleep-wake cycle basically the body’s internal clock.
And getting a good sleep means you are working along with that internal clock and not going against it. Employees should not ignore the feeling of being tired. And not going too bad when you don’t feel tired as this will open the door to just lying awake causing more trouble to sleep.
When you do go to bed, make sure the room temperature is appropriate and the room is dark. No screen time during sleeping hours or in bed. No caffeinated drink near the closing bed hours. Plus no overdoing with nap time, it must be kept short for 30 minutes max.
The manager should allow the worker to take power naps so that the individual health is not compromised by long working hours. Night shifts cannot be something the working field can skip, specifically if we are talking about the healthcare field or security guard job.
But there are ways to manage the timing and sleeping routine. So that less injury or mistakes get done. Employees should be discouraged from giving up sleep for work. And there should be strictness when an employee is on break, they should be taking the time off and not sending out emails.
