Addressing the elephant in the (bed)room: Sleep and fatigue as a shiftworker

Transcription

1 Addressing the elephant in the (bed)room: Sleep and fatigue as a shiftworker IOSH National Food and Drink Manufacturing Conference 2016 Dr Paul Jackson

2 Clockwork Research Specialists in fatigue risk management Enhancing safety via effective management of human performance Translate academic research into operational solutions Assisting organisations to build fatigue risk management systems for over 10 years

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4 Summary Manage alertness not fatigue Shiftworkers experience an elevated level of fatigue Sleep loss, poor sleep quality, circadian disruption Prescriptive regulations in isolation do not protect against fatigue risk Both the company and the workforce have a shared responsibility to manage fatigue

5 Did you ever feel like this after lunch?

6 Manage alertness not fatigue Fatigue is negative. Alertness is positive We want employees to report reduced alertness, not just when they are too fatigued to operate. More effective risk management Countermeasures can still help restore alertness

7 How alert do you feel right now?

8 Shiftwork and fatigue The National Food and Drink Manufacturing Conference 2016 Dr Paul Jackson

9 Fatigue-related accidents Incidents Variable job performance Reduced efficiency Reputation INCREASED COSTS Attrition Extra Training Health and wellbeing Sick days Recruitment Morale

10 Shiftworkers typically get less sleep than they need Interaction with family, 0.5 Available time for sleep, 6.25 Work, % of people need 6-9 hours of sleep per day Evening meal, 0.5 Washing (evening), 0.25 Morning preparation for work, 1 Commute from, 1.5 Commute to, 1.5

11 Shiftworkers experience circadian disruption Working at times of the day when alertness is at a minimum = increased accident risk Trying to sleep at a time of day when alertness is high = poor quality sleep Effects similar to jet lag.

12 Effects of fatigue IOSH National Food and Drink Manufacturing Conference 2016 Dr Paul Jackson

13 Effects of fatigue Reduced alertness Vigilance and concentration errors Intentional non-compliance Effort avoidance Short cuts Procedural errors Correct intention, flawed execution; E.g. slips & lapses* Decision errors Perception of risk, failure to consider options *Slip: performing the correct action, but incorrectly Lapse: failing to perform the correct action at all

14 Microsleeps Brief periods of unintentional sleep Occur when we are very tired or the conditions are right Significant impairment long before microsleeps Late symptom of tiredness

15 Physical and cognitive signs of fatigue

16 Drowsy driving getting home safely Fatigue occasionally results in at-work incidents But workers have lots of protection at work After a tiring shift, the first thing that we want to do is get in the car and get home to sleep. Driving is one of the most high-risk situations for fatigued employees. Tired drivers are estimated to cause 1 in 4 fatal crashes on motorways and trunk roads.

17 How do we manage fatigue? IOSH National Food and Drink Manufacturing Conference 2016 Dr Paul Jackson

18 Hours of Work regulations Simplistic illusion of safety management: - within the limits you are safe - outside the limits you are unsafe. Many regulatory authorities now require a more scientific approach to the management of fatigue, based on analysis of data specific to the organisation.

19 Motorway video

20 Managing fatigue is a shared responsibility Organisational Individual Ensure shift patterns allow adequate breaks for recovery between shifts Provide employees with information and tools to enable them to manage their personal fatigue risk Treat seriously all reports of fatigue brought to their notice by employees Obtain adequate sleep between shifts Manage out of hours activities so they do not adversely affect work performance Report operational or personal factors that could increase fatigue risk

21 Team strategies for managing fatigue Reporting alertness throughout shift Task rotation Increased communication Double-checking calculations Joking to identify impaired colleagues Visual reinforcement of verbal commands Checking for early warning signs

22 Summary Manage alertness not fatigue Shiftworkers experience an elevated level of fatigue Sleep loss, poor sleep quality, circadian disruption Prescriptive regulations in isolation do not protect against fatigue risk Both the company and the workforce have a shared responsibility to manage fatigue

23 For more information...