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Fatigue is now considered a workplace hazard, one that you can no longer ignore. This is one of the most common, and most underestimated, hazards on site. It’s often brushed off as “just being tired”, but fatigue can seriously affect how safely someone works. When workers are fatigued, they’re more likely to make mistakes, ignore risks and get hurt. Long hours, physically demanding work and shift schedules can all contribute to fatigue, sometimes before people even realise it’s affecting them.

Fatigue isn’t just about physical tiredness. It’s a state of physical, mental or emotional exhaustion that impacts concentration, alertness, reaction times and decision-making. A fatigued worker may take shortcuts, struggle to focus or react more slowly to changing conditions. In high-risk environments, that loss of awareness can quickly lead to incidents.

Workplace fatigue usually builds over time and is rarely caused by one thing alone. Factors such as: 

• long or irregular hours
• not enough breaks
• heavy workloads
• repetitive tasks  
• mentally demanding work 
• environmental conditions; like heat, cold, noise and poor lighting  
• poor sleep 
• health issues
• personal stress or 
• second jobs

Because fatigue builds gradually, it’s not always easy to spot. Fatigue is a serious safety issue because it increases the risk of vehicle and plant incidents, slips, trips and falls, procedural errors and slower responses in emergencies. 

Over the long term, ongoing fatigue can also contribute to health problems such as mental health issues, heart disease and musculoskeletal injuries.

Managing fatigue is a shared responsibility. Businesses need to plan work safely by managing hours, workloads and conditions, and making sure workers have time to rest and recover. Workers also need to take breaks, manage rest where possible and speak up if they’re feeling fatigued or unfit for work.

The best way to manage fatigue is to prevent it. Simple steps like:

• planning reasonable hours
• rotating tasks
• scheduling demanding work earlier in the shift 
• providing regular breaks 
• providing water and shade 
• encouraging open conversations about fatigue 

 Fatigue might be common, but it shouldn’t be accepted as part of the job.

To better help you navigate this, HazardCo has :

• Created a Fatigue Management Policy available to all members in the Hub
• The SWMS templates have been updated to make sure that all workers signing them are confirmed to be fit for work, in addition to completing the fit-for-work declaration when they scan onto a HazardCo site.

 If you need further information or help, call our Advisory Team on 1800 954 702.