17 Psychosocial risks
Fatigue
Fatigue can lead to serious short-term and long-term health effects on workers.
Fatigue is more than feeling tired and drowsy. It is a state of physical, mental and/or emotional exhaustion that reduces a person’s ability to perform work safely and effectively.
Fatigue may include:
physical exhaustion due to work that involves high physical demands or poor environmental work conditions
mental exhaustion due to work that involves high mental or cognitive demands
emotional exhaustion due to work that work involves high emotional demands.
Examples of work factors that may lead to fatigue include:
unpredictable time arrangements, irregular hours, long work hours and roster cycles and shift lengths that do not allow adequate time for sleep and recovery
performing emotional labour or providing emotional support
high cognitive demands, such as sustained concentration and extended work hours
roster cycle or shift length
high workload and/or working overtime
limited ability to self-advocate
environmental stressors such as light, noise, climate or vibration
design, quality and management practices for accommodation facilities that compromise the amount and quality of sleep and rest.
Fatigue can be influenced by activities beyond work tasks and is not exclusively caused by work-related activities.
Effects of fatigue
Fatigue is a contributing factor to accidents, injuries and fatalities across various workplace environments as workers who are tired and/or work irregular hours are less likely to perform tasks safely. The effects of fatigue, such as slowed responses, inattention or failure to control inappropriate actions, have been identified as factors in workplace accidents.
Managing the risks of fatigue
Everyone in the workplace can contribute to a safer, healthier and more productive workplace by investing in health and safety strategies and practices to mitigate the risks associated with fatigue.
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psychosocial risks
Please note that the information on this page is based on guidance from Comcare’s psychosocial resources. Definitions, terminology, and regulatory expectations may vary by state, territory, or country. Each psychosocial risk has its own dedicated page, and ReFresh is designed to adapt to the specific regulations and frameworks that apply in your jurisdiction, supporting organisations operating across different regions worldwide.