Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue: Addressing Production and Injury Risk

It may seem intuitive that getting adequate rest results in better performance at work, school and play. We make sure our kids go to bed on time (not always an easy task!) because we know they need their sleep to do well in school. Athletes train hard and know that they need to be well rested to reach their peak performance.  Yet the work culture in the United States embraces an overworked and over-fired workforce and tends to reward long hours and minimal breaks. We are told that it demonstrates diligence and commitment, and it is what is needed to achieve success.  Sometimes, it even works out that way.

However, it is likely that most will admit that physical, cognitive and psychological fatigue results in lower quantity and quality output. This lack of production and quality are likely to result in errors with financial consequences or reflect poorly on the organization. Consider the implications of errors of omission or commission in safety-sensitive work.

You may be aware that missing sleep time can have similar effects on function as with alcohol intoxication, and we all can agree that use of alcohol in the workplace is dangerous. The CDC reports that people with sleep problems are 62% more likely to experience a workplace injury, and insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality has been linked to 13% of all workplace injuries. Sleep problems are very common, indicated by the CDC reporting that 43% of workers are sleep deprived.

An article in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, in 2019, looked at Oregon workers and concluded that cognitive failures with insomnia included not remembering correct work procedures or whether equipment was turned off. Workers were found to unintentionally press control switches on machines and stopped or started machines by mistake.

If you consider some of the mechanisms our brains use for efficiency, it is not difficult to understand how fatigue from poor sleep can cause problems like this. We tend to make most decisions automatically without conscious thought, and that instinct becomes more likely when we are fatigued. We think we see everything in view, but in fact we are very selective about what we notice, and this amount is reduced with fatigue. We believe we have much better recall than we actually do, and it is much worse when we are fatigued. So, when we are sleep deprived, we are more easily physically and cognitively fatigued, and our brains have much more influence in pushing us to take the easy path.

There is growing evidence suggesting inexpensive and low-tech efforts by employers to encourage better sleep habits and general fitness result in self-reported improvements in sleep-related outcomes, which is associated with reduced absenteeism and better overall quality of life. Please encourage your safety teams and supervisors to continue to observe for and take steps to mediate workplace impairment deriving from sleep problems.

*The views and opinions expressed in the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) blogs are those of each respective author. The views and opinions do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of PRIMA.*