Operator fatigue creates a host of potential problems for operations.
From safety concerns to lost production, the effects can be damaging.
Employees who work long hours, nights or maintain irregular shifts face different challenges than day workers. Shift work affects sleep, alertness, health, and family and social lives.
Human alertness has a daily rhythm – measurably higher during the day and lower at night. People also tend to get drowsy after lunch. It’s important to be aware of and manage these challenges.
Fatigue avoidance
Fatigue is one of the leading causes of injury at workplaces and at home.
Operating mobile equipment while fatigued can be fatal for operators and others. It can be as dangerous as operating while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Performing work duties while fatigued can lead to:
• Getting injured from equipment pinch points or being hit by mobile equipment from not paying attention to the work environment.
• Poor understanding of operating instructions.
• Erroneous readings of process controls and gauges.
• Poor response time to emergency incidents and near misses.
• Shortcuts or poor work performance due to insufficient energy to do the job correctly.
• Inability to handle multiple tasks at the same time.
Here are tips and pointers to help ensure employees arrive at the workplace alert every day and ready to work.
• Periodically rotate jobs. Set up a job rotation schedule if the work is mundane and not stimulating.
• Limit coffee and artificial stimulants. Ingesting these stimulants throws off the body’s natural ability to stay alert and focused.
• Eat a balanced diet and drink enough fluids to stay hydrated, ensuring a fair balance of proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins.
• Sleep a minimum of seven hours per day and strive for work/life balance, allowing adequate time to recharge for the next workday.
• Exercise and stretch muscles each morning before starting work. This allows for better blood flow, which supplies oxygen.
• Drink plenty of water, particularly in hot working environments.
Heat stress
Another serious workplace factor for operators to consider is heat stress.
Heat stress is a combination of heat generated by the human body and heat gained from the environment.
Heat stress also depends on the type of clothing worn (especially protective clothing), humidity in the environment and the operator’s workload. These factors affect mobile equipment operators’ deep body temperature, heart rate, sweating and sweat evaporation rate.
Heat stress increases the risk of accidents and heat-related illnesses or injuries. Operators who take medications that regulate blood pressure, thyroid or kidney function are especially at risk. Heat-related illnesses include heat collapse (fainting), heat fatigue, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, a medical emergency that can rapidly lead to death.
Each of these conditions can be prevented by appropriate engineering controls, as well as acclimatization (climatic conditioning), frequent rest breaks, adequate water intake (with electrolytes) and responsible supervision.
Related: What OSHA’s proposed heat illness prevention rule could mean for employers
Information for this article derived from Pit & Quarry University. Learn more at pitandquarry.com/pqu.