Can Reducing Employee Fatigue Reduce Comp Claims?

Lack of shut-eye may be affecting your workers' ability to do their jobs as well as your workforce's comp claim rate. An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that inadequate sleep impairs their work performance and puts them at increased risk for accidents, injuries and health problems, according to the National Sleep Foundation's annual poll on sleep in America. The NSF poll results underscore what researchers and industry experts have said for years; that fatigue in the workplace costs American industry at least $77 billion per year.

Risky business. "Employee fatigue has been linked to many of the most notorious incidents of our time, including the Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, not to mention up to 25% of all highway accidents," said Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, the President and CEO of Circadian Technologies, Inc. (CTI), an international research and consulting firm that implements corporate programs to reduce risk from human factors in the workplace. "With Americans working longer hours, including demanding overnight shifts, I fully expect that the epidemic of employee fatigue will continue to cause significant problems," noted Dr. Moore-Ede.

Over 45% of companies with round the clock operations view the business risks associated with fatigue as severe to moderate, according to CTI's annual Shiftwork Practices Survey. Operations managers believe employee fatigue to be the direct cause of at least 18% of all accidents and injuries suffered in their facilities, according to CTI's most recent survey.

Shiftworkers the sleepiest. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that shiftworkers are two times more likely than the average American to suffer from sleep apnea, which results in constant interrupted sleep and is directly linked to higher workplace accident rates. Sleep apnea is characterized by loud snoring and numerous instances of pauses in breathing during sleep. Workplace fatigue is also a major factor in the stress levels of many employees, with nearly 75% of American nurses claiming that stress and overwork are the top concerns they face in their jobs.

Are new laws the answer? A majority of Americans support increased regulation on the number of hours worked by employees in demanding professions-such as doctors, pilots, and truck drivers. Legislators in many states are already drafting legislation to limit the work hours of doctors and nurses, and industry interest groups continue to debate federal government efforts to revisit hours-of-service regulations in trucking, motorcoach, aviation and rail industries.

What can employers do? Follow these steps from CTI to reduce the business risk from human factors, including drowsiness and fatigue:

Evaluate your workforce with an eye towards better determining which schedules are least fatiguing; ensure the highest levels of performance and safety
Provide training for employees to educate them on how to reduce the risks associated with managing their lives around their work schedules
Perform periodic health and safety assessments of employees in order to implement programs to control risks from human factors
Measure employee fatigue levels while on-duty and provide an alternative framework to hours of service regulations.

Source: Website: http://www.circa-dian.com.

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