Workers denying not getting enough sleep, and fearing being exposed as having sleep issues, are two of four barriers that need to be addressed to implement an effective sleep health program for white-collar workers, the authors of a global study say.
A commission had upheld the dismissal of a worker who, after being sent home early for fatigue-related issues, attended a music festival and then returned to the workplace behaving erratically.
Employers need to be more strategic when planning work schedules and rest times to "reduce physical and mental overload", according to safety experts, who found the widespread problem of lower back pain tends to build up across consecutive work days.
Court Services Victoria (CSV) has been convicted and ordered to pay nearly $400,000 in penalties, in relation to a toxic workplace culture that contributed to the suicide death of a lawyer and to other workers taking stress leave.
The extended use of work-related electronic communication (WREC) during non-work hours worsens fatigue and depression and results in unhealthily high levels of alertness before bed, according to researchers, who advise promoting the "right to disconnect".
Employers have been urged to manage rosters and workloads in ways that reduce the risk of fatigue, after a second organisation was convicted over the car-crash death of a worker who had worked for 17 hours straight.
Measures for preventing workplace fatigue range from providing appropriate staffing levels to digitally locking out workers, according to WHS lawyers, who warn the issue is dangerously overlooked in many organisations, and highlight a safety prosecution that reads like a "how-to" guide to tackling fatigue.