If you work too long....
http://www.jcu.edu.au/top/JCUPRD_026085.htmlWith the mining boom sweeping the country, a recent study has found some worrying trends when it comes to miner fatigue.
The study by researchers at James Cook University in Townsville has compared the fatigue felt by miners working more than eight consecutive 12 hour shifts as similar to the impairment felt from 0.5 per cent alcohol levels.
It raises some alarming questions about worker welfare and workplace safety.
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Miners Drunk with Fatigue
Miners working more than eight consecutive 12 hour day-shifts were fatigued beyond the impairment expected from a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% according to researchers at James Cook University.
The research was conducted by the Occupational Health research Group from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at JCU.
Similarly dangerous levels of fatigue were also observed at the end of the first 3 night shifts in the most comprehensive study on occupational fatigue ever conducted in the minerals industry.
Associate Professor Reinhold Muller and his team, reporting their results in the Annals of Occupational Hygiene, followed 55 miners at a fly-in/fly-out mine site through the 10 day and 8 night shifts of their 28 day roster, collecting extensive data regarding a wide variety of risks, causes and effects of fatigue.
Fatigue is a complex syndrome of physical and mental effects that ultimately leads to a loss of performance, said Associate Professor Muller.
“So a variety of measures were required to detail the causes and effects,’” he said.
“We collected data of not only how the miners performed in response time tests, but also how the miners felt both physically and mentally at the start and finish of every day and night shift.”
Combined with information from sleep and lifestyle diaries, the research team was able to isolate the individual, organizational and environmental causes of fatigue.
“The main causes of fatigue were a roster of more than eight consecutive shifts, and a disturbed daily rhythm when changing over to night shifts.” Associate Professor Muller said. “The strength of the research approach we have used is that we now have the evidence base of the causes of fatigue to develop highly specific primary prevention strategies, rather than the one-size fits-all remedy that is seemingly popular in industry.”
Associate Professor Muller said that while fatigue is recognized as an important issue in the minerals industry, very little sound research has been conducted.
Much of the research to date uses indirect measures of fatigue, such as comparing staff turnover or injuries to hours of work.
“This type of comparison does not even measure fatigue so cannot provide evidence of fatigue,” he said. “Similarly, the research that concentrates solely on sleep and fatigue overlooks other important risk factors, such as dehydration, physical fitness, lifestyle, and general health.”
The results of the study have been used to develop specific strategies to prevent fatigue, including reducing the length of the roster to eight consecutive day shifts, and increasing lighting in the workplace and scheduled power naps breaks for workers to overcome fatigue during night shift.
But the surprising finding was that workers were less fatigued as they progressed through the night shift roster.
“We found that staff felt and performed at their worst during the first 3 night shifts, and then adapted to the change to night shift,” said Dr Muller.
“So there is no evidence to support a reduction in the length of the night shift phase of the roster to less than 7 shifts.”
Issued: Tuesday April 22, 2008
For more information contact Dr Tony Carter, JCU Occupational Health Research Fellow on 4796 1731
or Jo Meehan, JCU Media, on 4781 4586 or 0422 543 757.
http://www.jcu.edu.au/top/JCUPRD_026085.html
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