Browsing: Fatigue | Page 26

Researchers have found that workers who have control over their work times sleep better and are more alert, but warn that flexible schedules can also have adverse health effects.

A worker was guilty of serious safety breaches in failing to report his fatigue to a supervisor, and sleeping for more than two hours during a shift, a commission has found in rejecting his unfair dismissal claim.

A comprehensive literature review has identified the major causes of occupational fatigue and its repercussions, highlighting the importance of employers breaking the fatigue "cycle".

An employer breached its duty of care in failing to prevent a worker, who was on call 24 hours a day, from working up to 70 hours a week and developing a psychiatric injury, the Victorian Supreme Court has found.

Workers exposed to common bio-aerosols are prone to fatigue, in addition to respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and nose congestion, according to European researchers.

A shift worker, whose second job as an Uber driver was discovered when he picked up a manager, was fairly sacked for failing to respond to his employer's concerns about fatigue, a commission has found.

An employer that ceased trading, attempted to deregister, and set up a similar company after a worker was killed by a homemade machine, has been fined $800,000 over the death.

No single "silver bullet" can eliminate the impact of shift work on workers' health and wellbeing, but organisational interventions like careful scheduling, controlled lighting and special training can help, according to researchers.

• Employers reminded of fatigue-related safety duties; and
  
• Regulator launches fall-prevention blitz.

Night shifts can "flatten" workers' diurnal cortisol levels - a phenomenon previously linked to cancer, PTSD and other disorders, a study has found.