It was not good enough in times of long unemployment for an employer to offer work such as this with several consecutive shifts and to adopt the attitude that the employee can knock off when he likes . The judge noted that employers must recognise that employees can get keen and protect them from their own keenness. Employers are obliged to take all practicable steps to prevent harm to employees and others in the workplace. What managers can do Sleepy fatigued workers are a problem for all managers. Given particular circumstances such as long hours of work, the time of day and the work environment and even type of work fatigue can become a problem.
Tired workers make mistakes leading to loss in production and health and safety concerns.
Shiftworkers and others working long or irregular hours are particularly susceptible to the hazard of fatigue. Improving shiftwork rosters Organisations that employ shiftworkers are taking on board the advances made by the scientific community about circadian rhythms and implementing rosters that are compatible with the body s natural rhythms. Human beings are hard wired to be awake during the day and sleep during the night. When we force the biological clock to tick at a different pace, sleep becomes shortened and the quality is impaired. The result is a tired worker.