Study: 69% of Workers Fatigued on the Job

Do you feel tired at work? Whether you work outside in the heat or inside a climate-controlled office, you may experience fatigue. It's an all-too-common problem among workers, with a recent study showing that a staggering 69% of U.S. workers experience fatigue while on the job.

Conducted by the National Safety Council (NSC), the Fatigue in Safety-Critical Industries report found that most workers in the United States get tired while working. After surveying thousands of U.S. workers, NSC researchers found that 69% had experience on-the-job fatigue at least once. This, of course, is concerning since fatigue increases the risk of injury. When workers are fatigued, their reaction times become slower, resulting in a higher risk of injury.

Surprisingly, though, the report found that one in four U.S. workers don't believe fatigue is a safety issue. Rather, they believe it's just a normal aspect of working that doesn't increase the risk of injury.

Perhaps the most alarming findings from this report involve the specific industries that experience high rates of worker fatigue. NSC researchers say that 97% of transportation industry workers, including truck drivers, experience on-the-job fatigue, while 100% of construction workers experience it. When transportation workers experience fatigue, they may cause an accident by colliding with another vehicle on the road. And when construction workers experience fatigue, they may slip and fall or use heavy machinery incorrectly. These are just a few reasons that it's important to protect against on-the-job fatigue in the transportation and construction industries.

"We've been looking at the impact of fatigue in the workplace for a long time, but it is troubling to see just how affected our safety-sensitive industries are," said Emily Whitcomb of the NSC. "When you're tired, you can be deadly and these industries are already at higher risk because of their safety sensitive jobs. We urge employers to address fatigue risk in their workplace so all employees can be healthy and safe."

There are ways for employers to protect against worker fatigue. First, employers should carefully monitor their workers' hours so that no single worker isn't clocking too many in a typical workweek. Even if a worker wants the extra hours, allowing him or her to work those extra hours may not be a good idea. The more hours a worker clocks in a workweek, the greater the risk of fatigue and, subsequently, injury.

Second, employers should consider adopting an ergonomic design in their workplace. Ergonomics refers to fitting a workplace to meet the needs of its workers. Employers can place anti-fatigue mats in workstations, for example, to create a more ergonomic environment. For office workers, employers can invest in high-quality furniture, including executive office chairs with lumbar support, to promote a more ergonomic workplace.