Workers need 7-8 hours of quality sleep per day to function optimally. Signs of excessive fatigue like difficulty focusing, yawning, and irritability indicate a worker should stop working and rest. Fatigue increases the risk of accidents both at work and during the commute home. Working long hours or shifts over 10 hours increases accident risks substantially, similar to the risks of drunk driving. Employers and workers should recognize adequate sleep as essential for safety.

1. SAFETY MINUTE
The Risk of Fatigue
Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep out of every 24 hours to function
optimally. Although workers may think they can do more good by putting in longer hours,
Important Points
Signs of excessive fatigue that indicate a worker should go off shift and get some shut-eye
include:
• Difficulty focusing
• Frequent blinking, heavy eyelids, and frequent eye-rubbing
• Daydreaming or disconnected thoughts
• Repeated yawning
• Difficulty keeping the head up
• Feeling restless and irritable
Workers experiencing fatigue-related symptoms should not perform any critical activity,
including driving.
Workers who put in an extended shift may be at the highest risk of fatigue-related accidents on
their commute home from the worksite, especially if it is a long one.
Staying awake for extended periods is as dangerous as drinking too much alcohol. Consider:
• Being awake for 17 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05
percent (the level some countries use for drunk driving violations).
• Being awake for 24 hours is similar to having a BAC of 0.10 percent (above the typical U.S.
drunk driving level of 0.08 percent).
• Working 10-hour shifts increases the risk of accidents and errors by 13 percent.
• Working 12-hour shifts increases the risk of accidents and errors by 28 percent.
NIOSH recommends that workers and employers view adequate sleep as a critical logistical
item, right alongside water, food, and essential supplies for doing the job.
Workers need to recognize when they are too tired to keep working--and to know that if they
keep pushing, they may eventually fall asleep without warning, potentially putting themselves
and others at risk.
a lack of adequate sleep will affect both their physical and
mental performance as well as their long-term health.
Workers who do not get enough sleep may suffer from
confusion and slow thinking and are more prone to making
mistakes. People who work long hours are at increased risk
of automobile crashes and other potentially deadly accidents.
In fact, working long hours even without sleep deprivation
increases your risk of mistakes.