How Tired Are Your Workers?
By Gary Dombroff, CSC, NYSIF Principal Field Rep
Sleep is a key component of a worker’s health, yet millions of American workers are sleep deprived. Fatigue caused by sleep deprivation is linked to an increase in work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and millions in associated costs.
So, how tired are your employees?
The answer may surprise you.
The National Safety Council (NSC), which hosted a Workplace Fatigue Conference in Seattle this February, teamed with the Brigham Health Sleep Matters Initiative for a probability-based survey that found fatigue takes a staggering toll on the American workplace.
According to the survey of more than 2,000 workers, fatigue-related sleep disorders severely impact U.S. employers of all sizes. An employer with 1,000 employees stands to lose about $1.4 million each year in absenteeism, diminished productivity and healthcare costs because of exhausted employees. The loss is about $80 million annually for an average size Fortune 500 company.
Impact of Fatigue
In a recent survey using a nationally representative sample of 6,338 workers, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimated that 54.1 million working adults have short sleep duration. Night shift workers accounted for nearly 62% of that number.
Night shifts, irregular and rotating shifts, long hours and overtime are common risk factors of fatigue-related sleep-deprivation. Workload, environment, diet, exercise and undiagnosed sleep disorders are also contributing factors.
Fatigue affects concentration, short-term memory, coordination and reaction time, compromising a worker’s safety, thinking, decision making and production. The result leads to costly mistakes, injuries, illnesses and potentially deadly consequences.
Deadly Combo
The effects of fatigue are compounded when a motor vehicle is involved. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that transportation accidents remain the single largest cause of work-related fatalities, led by a rise in roadway collisions and incidents in the past several years (more than 80 percent of 2,077 fatal transportation accidents reported in 2017), underscoring the need for alert, attentive employees.
The issue is not lost on Ellie Kittle-Ingalsbe, a NYSIF policyholder whose workers at highway contractor EMI Guard Rail are frequently on the road installing signs and guard rails. NYSIF Field Rep John McCann visited the company for a safety talk about fatigue and distracted driving. “I’m sure I’m not the only employer to welcome a presentation on fatigue at safety meetings,” Ms. Kittle-Ingalsbe said.
The NSC survey suggests she would be correct: 76 percent of workers said they feel tired at work and 97 percent have at least one workplace fatigue risk factor.
Studies Examine Scheduling
Still, an NSC employer survey of more than 500 decision makers revealed these findings:
• 74 percent of employers underestimate the prevalence of fatigue in their workplaces;
• 90 percent will discuss fatigue with employees but only 55 percent will adjust schedules or tasks;
• 51 percent assign night shifts to an employee immediately before or after a day shift.
According to NSC, fatigue-related risks are higher in transportation, construction, manufacturing and utilities. But stressful conditions, long hours and no time off between shifts are also common in healthcare, hospitality and most service operations. Fatigue-related motor vehicle accidents are also not confined to workers who drive for a living.
One study found that medical residents exposed to extended shifts had a 16 percent increased risk of a motor vehicle accident on the commute home, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Why Sleep Matters
Sleep Matters Initiative Director and Harvard Sleep Medicine professor Charles A. Czeisler notes that promoting healthy sleep enhances quality of life and worker longevity, while improving productivity and reducing costs for employers, “a win-win for both employers and employees,” he said.
Ms. Kittle-Ingalsbe believes the real costs and benefits should be evident. “Programs that address the signs of fatigue, and what employees and employers can do to address its causes are important,” she said.
Calculate Your Fatigue Costs
For more on the National Safety Council and Brigham Health Sleep Matters Initiative and for an estimate of the cost of fatigue on your workplace, visit nsc.org/tiredatwork.
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