Work-related fatigue
Fatigue is a state of mental and/or physical exhaustion that reduces a person’s ability to perform work safely and effectively. It can occur because of prolonged or intense mental or physical activity, sleep loss and/or disruption of the internal body clock.
Signs of fatigue include: tiredness even after sleep, slow reflexes, reduced hand-eye coordination, short term memory problems, inability to concentrate, blurred vision or impaired visual perception, a need for extended sleep during days off work.
Fatigue may increase the risk of accidents/incidents because of a lack of alertness or may affect the ability to make good decisions particularly when:
- operating machinery/driving;
- undertaking tasks that require a high level of concentration;
- when undertaking night or shift work
Fatigue can be caused by work related or non-work related factors or a combination of both.
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