General Information
Fatigue is one of the leading causes of in jury at the workplace and at home. Operating mobile equipment while fatigued can be fatal to you and others and is as dangerous as operating while impaired due to drugs and alcohol. Performing work duties while fatigued can lead to:
Getting injured from equipment pinch-points, or being hit by mobile equipment from not paying attention to the work environment
- Poor understanding of operating instructions
- Erroneous readings of process controls and gages
- Poor response time to emergency incidents and near misses
- Short cuts or poor work performance; not enough energy to do the job correctly
- Inability to handle multiple tasks at the same time
List below are tips and pointers to help ensure you arrive at the workplace alert every day and ready to work.
Tips for Staying Alert
- Periodically rotate jobs – keep it fresh. Set up a job rotation schedule if the work is mundane and not stimulating.
- Limit the coffee and artificial stimulants; ingesting these stimulants throws off the body’s natural ability to stay alert and focused.
- Eat a balanced diet and drink enough fluids to stay hydrated; ensure a fair balance of proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins.
- Sleep a minimum of 7 hours per day and strive for work/life balance; allow adequate time to re-charge for the next work day.
- Exercise; stretch the muscles each morning before starting work. This allows for better blood flow which supplies oxygen.
- Drink plenty of water, particularly in hot working environments.
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