29 July 2019

Fatigue Management

Working in the construction industry is taxing - physically and mentally. It involves heavy lifting, a lot manual labour, long days, sometimes night shifts. A personal fatigue management plan is a must if you're going to be productive everyday on site.

Construction work involves high-risk activities. To work safely, construction workers must be physically and mentally alert. On site, it’s up to you and your teams to manage fatigue.

Fatigue is the condition of being physically and/or mentally tired or worse, exhausted. Extreme fatigue can lead to uncontrolled and involuntary shutdown of the brain.

How can we manage fatigue?

construction-worker

Lack of sleep can be a contributor to fatigue. On average people generally need between 7.5 and 9 hours of sleep a night.
The best sleep is deep, undisturbed and taken in a single continuous period.
Keep a regular schedule by going to sleep and waking up at similar times each day.
Avoid using electronic devices like phones or computers before sleeping.
Eliminate noise where possible.
Avoid eating large meals directly before sleep.
Exercise regularly.
Eating & drinking the right stuff.
Take all scheduled work breaks. A snack or exercise during the break will refresh you.
Work carefully and very methodically, always following proper procedures.
Do you drink water regularly throughout the day? Health authorities also recommend drinking at least two litres of water a day.

Things to look for in your co-workers to help identify fatigue:

Their job performance slows.
They have trouble solving problems.
They have trouble focusing
They can’t stop yawning.
They have a near-miss accident.

Remember team! Safety is a habit!

Any suggestions or improvements in regard to Health & Safety on site can be emailed to our Health & Safety Officer or have a conversation with him on site when you see him.