Fatigue Management Awareness_1

8/3/2019 Fatigue Management Awareness_1

1/22

1 | P a g e

Project presented to Nigerian Institute of

Safety Professionals for membership

upgrade.

Project topic:

Fatigue management awareness

Written by:

MOLOKWU ONYECHI

Date:July 23, 2011


2/22

2 | P a g e

Introduction

Queen English dictionary & thesaurus of the English language published for

Parragon by Geddes & Grosset, defined fatigue as tiredness from physical and

mental efforts, the tendency of a material to break under repeated stress, and

stress as accent, highlight, point up, press, pressurize, effort, force etc.

A more elaborate description says stress is a psychological condition occurring

when individuals feel unable to cope with the demands being made on them.

They also believe that this failure will have important consequences. This

condition is sometimes called distress, to distinguish it from the positive or

pleasant aspects of stressful situations. Stress is usually associated with feeling a

lack of control and involvement in the decisions which affect life and work. The

jobs with the highest strain are those in which there is heavy pressure to perform,

where hours and procedures are rigid, there is a threat of redundancy, there is

little opportunity to learn new skills, and there is little involvement in decision

making. Such jobs tend to be the least prestigious. Workers low in the hierarchy

tends to experience the most stress. It is unclear how stress affects health, but

one possibility is that it disturbs important systems in the body, such as the

hormonal, nervous, or immune system.

This clearly shows that stress is completely different from fatigue which is

sometimes misinterpreted by family, friends or colleagues, who mistakenly

assume that the person with stress is depressed or just not trying hard enough.

Fatigue does not relate to relapses, or to any permanent increase in disability,

although previously experienced symptoms may recur during fatigue but subside

after rest. However, people can experience fatigue that interrupts their daily life

or that prevents them from working whilst having no other symptoms. Although

for some people drug therapy can help with fatigue, treatment is primarily based

on helping someone find ways of managing their life to prevent or lessen the


3/22

3 | P a g e

impact of fatigue. An occupational therapist is often central to the development

of management strategies. Occupational therapists (OT) look at all the physical,

psychological, environmental and social issues that are relevant to the individual.

By suggesting adaptations, equipment and different ways of tackling tasks, an OTworks with the individual to enable them to achieve maximum independence.


4/22

4 | P a g e

Fatigue Management Awareness

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is something every person has experienced. It is a natural part of the daily

life cycle. But fatigue is also a major factor in many serious accidents.Extensive

training, the proper safety equipment and a perfect track record of experience

cannot compensate for fatigue. Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack

of energy that does not go away when you rest.

Fatigue management can be vital in allowing you to live as full a life as possible

despite suffering with a tiredness syndrome. Of course, not all fatigue is caused by

chronic fatigue syndrome, or even anything related to it. A lot of extreme

tiredness is caused by something even more serious such as heart disease or

cancer, and a lot of it is simply caused by overwork and poor body maintenance.

Every case needs different treatment, but the symptoms can be remarkably

similar, so knowing exactly what to do can be quite a problem. The best course of

action is to attack it on two fronts as illness (ie Cancer, HIV etc) and daily lifecycle

(tiredness).


5/22

5 | P a g e

Employees, in most dynamic and multi-national companies, are accustomed to

long hours, frequent changes of schedule and long hours of travel from one

assignment to the next all factors that add real excitement to our work, but that

also can lead to profound fatigue.

The effects of fatigue on our alertness, our judgment, and our ability to recognize

and respond to potential problems, can contribute to costly and sometimes tragic

events.

To properly address these issues, it is vital to raise our awareness of fatigue, its

causes, the risks it poses and proven methods for managing those risks.

For the purposes of our discussion, fatigue is defined as the lack of energy

resulting from prolonged, extensive mental or physical activity, or from

insufficient sleep. Shift work, long work hours and international travel across time

zones can all promote fatigue.


6/22

6 | P a g e

What are the signs of fatigue?

Falling asleep while you are driving, monitoring equipment or performing othervigilance tasks is obviously a serious problem. But long before fatigue causes you

to fall asleep, it can adversely affect your judgment and your physical

coordination in ways that can lead to serious incidents or crashes.

The onset of fatigue can be recognized in ourselves and others as:

1. Physical or mental weariness.2. Something, such as tiring effort or activity that causes weariness: the

fatigue of a long hike.

3. Physiology. The decreased capacity or complete inability of an organism, anorgan, or a part to function normally because of excessive stimulation or

prolonged exertion. etc


7/22

7 | P a g e

SymptomsFatigue can cause a vast range of other physical, mental and emotional symptoms

including:

Chronic tiredness or sleepiness

Headache Dizziness

Sore or aching muscles

Muscle weakness

Slowed reflexes and responses

Impaired decision-making and judgment

Moodiness, such as irritability

Impaired hand-to-eye coordination Appetite loss

Reduced immune system function

Blurry vision

Short-term memory problems


8/22

8 | P a g e

Poor concentration

Hallucinations

Reduced ability to pay attention to the situation at hand

Low motivation.

Certain signs of fatigue are largely universal and can be split into two groups;

cognitive (psychological) and physical. This means that people may feel fatigued

in body or mind that is physical or psychological fatigue. With physical fatigue,

your muscles cannot do things as easily as they used to. You might notice this

when you climb stairs or carry bags of groceries. With psychological fatigue, it

may be difficult to concentrate for as long as you used to. In severe cases, youmight not feel like getting out of bed in the morning and doing your regular daily

activities.

Cognitive (psychological):Negative mood

Reduced communication

Slips and lapses

Poor memory

Reduced attention

Impaired problem solving

Increased risk taking

Physical:FidgetingRubbing eyes

Repeated yawning

Staring blankly


9/22

9 | P a g e

Blinking

Difficulty keeping eyes open

Head nodding

What are the causes of fatigue?These signs allow us to recognize that we need to sleep, and are our bodys way

of telling us to do so. To prevent or manage the effects of fatigue, we need to

understand how and why it can become a problem. So what's making you so tired

all the time? Most of the time, fatigue can be traced to one or more of your habits

or routines. Fatigue can be a normal and important response to physical exertion,

poor eating habits, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep. In some cases,

however, fatigue is a symptom of an underlying medical problem that requires

medical treatment.

Our bodies, including our brains, operate on a biological clock set to daily cycles,

known as circadian rhythms. We normally feel more alert during the daylight


10/22

10 | P a g e

hours and less alert at night, a fact of life even for people who have worked nights

for a very long time.

This nighttime sleepiness can lead to poor performance and reduced alertness,

increasing the likelihood and frequency of accidents and mistakes in judgment. All

of us experience two periods of maximum sleepiness each day, between 2 a.m.and 6 a.m., and again between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. It is in or around these two

periods of low alertness that some of the most notorious tragedies of our time

have occurred.


11/22

11 | P a g e

A range of causesThe wide ranges of causes that can trigger fatigue include:

Medical causes unrelenting exhaustion may be a sign of an underlying illness,

such as a thyroid disorder, heart disease or diabetes.

Lifestyle-related causes feelings of fatigue often have an obvious cause, such

as sleep deprivation, overwork or unhealthy habits.

Emotional concerns and stress fatigue is a common symptom of mental health

problems, such as depression and grief, and may be accompanied by other signs

and symptoms, including irritability and lack of motivation. Fatigue can also be

caused by a number of factors working in combination.

Medical causes:

Many diseases and disorders can trigger fatigue, including:

The flu

Glandular fever

Anemia

Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome CFS (formerly known as chronic fatigue syndrome)

Hypothyroidism

Hepatitis

Tuberculosis

Chronic pain

Addisons disease

Parkinsons disease Heart problems

HIV

Cancer

Certain medications.


12/22

12 | P a g e

Lifestyle related causes

Common lifestyle choices that can cause fatigue include:

Lack of sleep typically adults need about eight hours of sleep each night. Some

people try to get by on fewer hours of sleep.

Too much sleep adults sleeping more than 11 hours per day can lead to

excessive daytime sleepiness.

Alcohol and drugs alcohol is a depressant drug that slows the nervous system

and disturbs normal sleep patterns. Other drugs, such as cigarettes and caffeine,

stimulate the nervous system and can cause insomnia.

Sleep disturbances disturbed sleep may occur for a number of reasons, for

example, noisy neighbors, young children who wake in the night, a snoring

partner, or an uncomfortable sleeping environment such as a stuffy bedroom.

Lack of regular exercise and sedentary behavior physical activity is known to

improve fitness, health and wellbeing, reduce stress, and boost energy levels. It

also helps you sleep.

Poor diet low kilo-joule diets, low carbohydrate diets or high energy foods that

are nutritionally poor dont provide the body with enough fuel or nutrients to

function at its best. Quick fix foods, such as chocolate bars or caffeinated drinks,

only offer a temporary energy boost that quickly wears off and worsens fatigue.

Individual factors personal illness or injury, illnesses or injuries in the family,

too many commitments (for example, working two jobs) or financial problems can

cause fatigue.

There are lifestyle changes you can make which will benefit every type of fatigue

case no matter what the underlying cause, and these should be implemented as

quickly as possible. In many cases, they alone will be enough to return the patient

to health. In other cases, they will help to stabilize the condition while a thorough

diagnosis is carried out. The first important point to understand is that the


13/22

13 | P a g e

balance between rest and exercise can be upset either way, and that feelings of

fatigue can result from a lack of either.

Workplace related causes Common workplace issues

that can cause fatigue include: Shift work the human body is designed to sleep during the night. This pattern

is set by a small part of the brain known as the circadian clock. A shift worker

confuses their circadian clock by working when their body is programmed to be

asleep.

Poor workplace practices can add to a persons level of fatigue. These may

include long work hours, hard physical labor, irregular working hours (such as

rotating shifts), stressful work environment (such as excessive noise or

temperature extremes), boredom, working alone with little or no interaction with

others, or fixed concentration on a repetitive task.

Workplace stress can be caused by a wide range of factors including job

dissatisfaction, heavy workload, conflicts with bosses or colleagues, bullying,

constant change, or threats to job security.

Burnout can be described as striving too hard in one area of life while

neglecting everything else. Workaholics, for example, put all their energies into

their career, which puts their family life, social life and personal interests out of

balance.

Unemployment financial pressures, feelings of failure or guilt, and the

emotional exhaustion of prolonged job hunting can lead to stress, anxiety,depression and fatigue.


14/22

14 | P a g e

Psychological causes:

Studies suggest that psychological factors are present in at least 50 per cent of

fatigue cases.

These may include: Depression this illness is characterized by severe and prolonged feelings of

sadness, dejection and hopelessness. People who are depressed commonly

experience chronic tiredness.

Anxiety and stress a person who is chronically anxious or stressed keeps their

body in overdrive. The constant flooding of adrenaline exhausts the body, and

fatigue sets in.

Grief losing a loved one causes a wide range of emotions including shock,

guilt, depression, despair and loneliness.

Diagnosis can be difficult

Since fatigue can present a vast range of symptoms and be caused by many

different factors working in combination, diagnosis can be difficult. Your doctor

may diagnose fatigue using a number of tests including:

Medical history recent events such as childbirth, medication, surgery or

bereavement may contribute to fatigue.

Physical examination to check for signs of illness or disease. The doctor may

also ask detailed questions about diet, lifestyle and life events.

Tests such as blood tests, urine tests, x-rays and other investigations. The idea

is to rule out any physical causes, for example anemia, infection or hormonal

problems.

A shift worker confuses their circadian clock by working when

their body is programmed to be asleep.


15/22

15 | P a g e

For example, the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island nuclear plant disasters bothoccurred in the early morning hours, and both were caused at least in part by

fatigue.

Even at times of day when fatigue would not normally be a problem, disrupted

schedules or unusually long periods of sustained work can create a dangerous

level of fatigue. For example, in Cali, Colombia, American Airlines flight 965

crashed killing 164 people. Investigators determined that fatigue was a major

cause as a fatigued flight crew was unable to respond effectively when a serious

problem arose.

In Port-Harcourt and our country Nigeria, there are too many examples of serious

accidents, injuries and deaths in which fatigue played a critical role.


16/22

16 | P a g e

In 1988, the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea resulted in the loss of 167 lives,

with fatigue as a major contributing factor. Numerous tragedies on a smaller scale

have occurred and all of them might have been prevented with a greater

awareness of the risks of fatigue and how to manage them safely.

Why is alertness critical to safety?

Alertness is the critical factor in human performance. Defined as a state of

readiness to respond, alertness is what gives us the ability to recognize hazards

and take appropriate actions to manage them. Without alertness, all the training

and experience in the world will not protect you.

Factors which determine your level of alertness include the time of day, the

length of time since you last had a period of consolidated sleep, and the duration

and quality of that sleep. A periodic break in your work schedule is also critical to

alertness; too many consecutive days on duty can begin to affect alertness, even

if you have been getting a normal amount of sleep each day. The hazard of fatigue

in combination with the vigilance task of driving is our most deadly combination.

Studies suggest that as many as 50 percent of fatal crashes on highways are

caused by drivers falling asleep or briefly nodding off behind the wheel.

How do we manage fatigue?

The following sections describe the six principles of fatigue management.

1. Take frequent rests

Listen to your body. Don't be tempted to overdo it if you are having a goodspell - you might pay the price in a day or two!

It can be helpful to divide the day into three parts: be active in two of themand rest well in the third


17/22

17 | P a g e

If you have a big event coming up, prepare for it by getting as much rest aspossible beforehand - and remember that rest means doing nothing at all

Many people find it difficult to sit and do nothing and allow their mind to rest

properly. Relaxation techniques can give focus to periods of non activity and help

to achieve a deeper level of rest than simply sitting down. Relaxation can also

help to reduce stress and anxiety, which can increase fatigue.

Tips for relaxation

1. Choose a quiet place free from distraction.2. Body temperature drops during relaxation, so ensure the room is warm

enough or cover yourself with a light blanket.

3. You may want to loosen clothing and/or remove glasses or jewellery.4. Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying. If sitting, have your head

supported.

5. Close your eyes to avoid distraction.6. Practice your chosen technique - some people use tapes, soothing music or

meditation. Like anything new, it may take a few sessions to achieve the

desired result.

7. Maximize benefits of relaxation by doing at least 20 minutes every day.2. Prioritize activities

Prioritize tasks into those that are essential and those that can wait Save your energy for what you can do rather than struggling with tasks you

find difficult - delegate these to other people!

Conserve your energy whenever possible. If you have to go upstairs to usethe bathroom, save up other chores that need doing upstairs, to avoid


18/22

18 | P a g e

having to make separate journeys. Also, keep duplicate cleaning materials

upstairs and downstairs

Explore the possibility of working from home or cutting down your hours topart-time work

3. Plan ahead / time management

Make a daily or weekly timetable of activities that need to be done and try to put

activities in order of priority so that those that must be done are done before you

run out of energy. Break large complicated tasks into smaller stages that can be

spread throughout the day, e.g. peel potatoes in the morning to cook in the

evening. Set yourself realistic targets. An important word in time management is

NO.

Myths about time

Those who are the most active get the most done If I do it myself it will be done faster and better than if anyone else does it The harder one works, the more work is done Time can be 'saved'

4. Lead a healthy lifestyle/exercise

Try to keep generally fit. Exercises are essential, but remember to balance the

exercise with rests. Eat a well balanced diet. Excess weight, alcohol and smoking

can all have a negative effect on fatigue.

Remember the saying 'Use it or lose it'. Keep mobile, even if it only sitting inthe garden - fresh air does wonders for depression. If possible, stand up

and have a walk round every so often, to prevent stiffness in your legs


19/22

19 | P a g e

Take regular exercise if you are able. Swimming is a good option. Even ifyou are not a strong swimmer, spending time in warm water can be

beneficial and relaxing

Exercising with a friend can be fun and can help to keep you motivated

5. Adopt a good posture

Try to maintain an upright and symmetrical posture during all tasks. If necessary,

rest on a perching stool while carrying out tasks. Avoid excessive twisting and

bending and remember to rest in order to reduce strain on your joints and soft

tissue..

6. Organize tools, materials and work area

It is suggested that people divide their working space into different areas to make

use of energy more efficiently

Vertically

Area A: From shoulder to extended arm height

Objects that are lightweight and used less often


20/22

20 | P a g e

Area B: Between hip and shoulder

Tools and objects in continual use

Area C: From the hip to the floor

Heavy and less used items

Horizontally:

Area D: From your body to your finger tips with elbows bent

Items in current use

Area E: From the end of area D to your finger tips with your armextended

Items used less often

Through our experience in the field, and through scientific research, we have

learned a number of practical countermeasures for fatigue. For example, taking a

pre-work nap, avoiding vigilance tasks during known times of low alertness,

varying your job routine, taking breaks, adjusting the work environment andmanaging your nutritional intake can all reduce the risk of fatigue-related

accidents.

Avenues for sharing this information include websites, presentations and

Remember, the fundamental concept of being accountableis the right and

responsibility of every person to stop the job for any quality, health, safety or

environmental hazard. Foremost among these is stopping any job where the

hazard of fatigue has placed you, the operations or the environment at risk.

Your alertness, both physically and mentally, is required to ensure that you and

your team continue to be excellent in execution. There are documentations from

companies like Schlumberger, British Gas etc.


21/22

21 | P a g e

Some companies recognize the importance of understanding fatigue, recognizing

its causes and symptoms, and taking effective steps to prevent its consequences.

When fatigue is not relieved by enough sleep, good nutrition, or a low-stressenvironment, it should be evaluated by your doctor.

Where to get help

Your doctor

Things to remember

Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors working in combination, such asmedical conditions, unhealthy lifestyle choices, workplace problems and stress.

Fatigue is a known risk factor in motor vehicle and workplace accidents.

Always see your doctor for diagnosis if you are suffering from chronic tiredness.

Summary

Fatigue can affect every aspect of our business and private lives so managing it

successfully is a shared responsibility between employer and its employees.Thats why some company management, employees and contractors, are

proactive in managing fatigue. Not only is their own safety is at risk, but also that

of their co-workers and others with whom they share the workplace and the

roads.

Fatigue is a fact of life, and even plays an important role in letting us know when

its time for a rest.

During our daily activities we should remember to apply the soundFatigue

Managementstrategies available to us to ensure we remain safe, rested and alert.


22/22

22 | P a g e

References

http://www.answers.com/topic/fatigue

The University of Western Australia fatigue management planhttp://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/health/fatigue_management

http://www.mstrust.org.uk/information

"Fatigue."American Cancer SocietyJune 2001. [cited June 28, 2001]. .Melissa

Knopper, M.S.

Eating Well Through Cancer. Clegg, Holly B., and Gerald Miletello, Baton Rouge:

Holly B. Clegg Inc., 2001.

"Effects of Physical Activity on the Fatigue and Psychologic Status of Cancer

Patients During Chemotherapy." Cancer85, no. 10 (May 15, 1999): 22737.

Mark A. Demitrack, Susan E. Abbey (1999). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An

Integrative Approach to Evaluation and Treatment.
http://www.answers.com/topic/fatiguehttp://www.answers.com/topic/fatiguehttp://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/health/fatigue_managementhttp://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/health/fatigue_managementhttp://www.mstrust.org.uk/informationhttp://www.mstrust.org.uk/informationhttp://www.mstrust.org.uk/informationhttp://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/health/fatigue_managementhttp://www.answers.com/topic/fatigue

Fatigue Management Awareness_1

Documents

Transcript of Fatigue Management Awareness_1