We’ve all had a night of tossing and turning that leads to some tired moments on the job the next day. Have you noticed how easy it is to lose your concentration when you’re tired? Or misunderstand directions?
When you feel fatigued at work, you are more prone to mistakes, and that can have serious side effects. In fact, the National Safety Council says more than 10 percent of at-work accidents are tied to sleep issues, causing a $400 billion impact on the economy.
Sometimes employers encourage working long hours, which can lead to fatigue. Other employers fail to enact safety standards that could prevent accidents. Here’s why you should be careful when you feel fatigued on the job.
The Dangers of Fatigue While on the Job
Many people don’t recognize the seriousness of fatigue. Working hard is valued in our culture, so many people think working longer is a badge of honor. Yet this can lead to serious issues. Fatigue symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Slowed response times
- Impaired judgment
Clearly, these are all things that can impact your effectiveness on the job. If you work on an assembly line, and your response time slows down, that means your output will be lower. This will impact people down the chain, too.
This can also become dangerous. Your impaired judgment may impact decisions such as whether to wear safety gear or operate heavy machinery. If you fall asleep in these situations, it’s almost sure to lead to injury.
How Does Fatigue Affect Safety at Work?
When you feel fatigued, you may also feel embarrassed. Some people view fatigue as a sign of laziness or weakness. While this isn’t true, the perception can lead people who are too tired to perform their jobs properly to ignore the warning signs of overtiredness and continue with the job.
This inevitably leads to mistakes, which can compromise others’ safety. For example, say a fatigued worker is scheduled to drive their boss and a colleague to a meeting 45 minutes from the office. The gentle hum of the car lulls the driver to sleep, and the vehicle crashes, injuring everyone inside. Clearly, fatigue contributed to the injuries, and the situation could have been avoided if the driver had admitted they were too exhausted to drive.
Another problem is that employers often don’t see fatigue as the safety issue that it really is. They tend to think fatigue is an excuse to get out of work.
Discuss Your Fatigue-Related Injury With Our Workers’ Comp Attorneys
Fatigue affects workplace safety in many ways. If you have gotten injured on the job while suffering from fatigue, you may be eligible to collect workers’ compensation payments. You need to discuss your options with an experienced attorney.
The lawyers at Frommer D’Amico can assist you. We only handle workers’ compensation cases, and we only work with employees, never employers. Contact us today to set up a free consultation. You can reach us at 717-400-1000 or fill out our online contact form.