Fatigue Management

Fatigue is more than feeling tired and drowsy. In a work context, fatigue is a state of mental and/or physical exhaustion which reduces a person's ability to perform work safely and effectively. It can occur because of prolonged mental or physical activity, sleep loss and/or disruption of the internal body clock.

Everyone in the workplace has a work health and safety duty and can help to ensure fatigue does not create a risk to health and safety at work.

Managing the risk of fatigue in the workplace

The major factors contributing to and increasing the risk of fatigue involve:

Work Schedules (Shift work, Night work, Hours of work, Breaks)
Job demands
Sleep (Length of sleep time, Quality of sleep and time since sleep)
Environmental Conditions
Non-work related factors

Fatigue Management Resources

The below guides and attachments from SafeWork Australia can act as tools to assist in managing fatigue for staff during peak periods (including but not limited to intensive schools, end of financial year, exams and marking)

SafeWork Australia states in the above guide that work hours of greater than 48 hours a week or only having one rest day a week increases the fatigue risk from low to medium. On this basis any work period that increase to the risk to medium require us to complete a formal risk assessment and ensure there are sufficient control to reduce any fatigue risk.