Canadian HR Reporter

F E A T U R E S 18 www.hrreporter.com FIGHTING FATIGUE WITH SAFETY TECH On-the-job impairment is a constant challenge for employers with safety-sensitive environments, especially with the legalization of cannabis. But fatigue is another important factor, and safety tech can help, says Steve Matthews of Aware360 TANNER Hickman remembers well the story of an employee who arrived at work one morning and struggled to complete an exercise on an app that the company used to check for workplace fatigue. When asked why, the worker explained to his supervisor that his terminally ill teenage son had been taken to the emergency room the night before. "Why in the world are you here?" asked the supervisor. His answer? "I'm the breadwinner of the family; I've got to earn a pay cheque." To Hickman, director of safety and Fatigue versus drugs or alcohol Although employee impairment is often associated with drug or alcohol use, the most prevalent cause is often overlooked — fatigue is an unfortunate reality that afflicts many other wise excellent workers. A 2000 study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that 17 hours of being awake is equivalent to a person having a blood alcohol content (BOC) of 0.05, while 21 hours is equivalent to 0.08 and 24 to 25 hours is equivalent to 0.10. Response speeds were up to 50 per cent slower for some tests while accuracy measures were significantly poorer than at this level of alcohol. And workers with sleep problems can have a 1.62-times-higher risk of being injured than workers without sleep problems, according to a 2014 study in Sleep Medicine Review, adding that about 13 per cent of work injuries can be attributed to sleep problems. Fatigue can have a swift and far- reaching impact on an employee's attitude, stamina and critical decision- making skills. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of employees have reported being tired at work, and 72 per cent see that as a safety issue, according to a 2018 report by the National Safety Council in the U.S. Fitness for duty, as defined by the council, is a person's ability to perceive and react to sudden sensory cues, as well as manage an acceptable threshold of risk tolerance in the workplace. In short, this is the minimum benchmark for every worker's condition before starting work or performing a high-risk activity. Fitness for duty is gaining attention from Canadian employers due to the security at Triple-S Steel in Houston, this is a common occurrence. "We've got a lot of tough guys out there. Prior to using the Aware4Duty [app], we probably would have never known his state of mind that day... I can't tell you for sure we avoided an accident that day, but I can tell you we kept an employee who had no business working that day from hurting himself or others." An employee's loyalty and willingness to work is a commendable trait, but in the case of this particular worker, the consequences could have been dire — he operated a 50-foot crane. FATIGUE A CHALLENGE FOR MANY WORKERS 27% number of Canadian workers fatigued most days or every day during a typical work week 28% number of workers identifying work stress and job demands as the main cause of fatigue 42% number of employees, on days they were tired, who reported that their productivity and performance were worse 22% number of workers with children who were tired every day, compared to 12% of those without children legalization of cannabis. Companies and supervisors are expected to maintain a high level of safety and professionalism, while at the same time identifying any potential liabilities that might affect both workers and the general public. Managing worker fatigue is a key first step toward improving workplace safety and productivity, as well as reducing company liability. Best practice programs and legal developments have helped to establish workplace safety expectations that are clear, concise and safeguarded against misinterpretation. To s u p p o r t t h e s e g u i d e l i n e s , employee awareness assessments need to be proactive — not reactive — in determining any possible signs of employee fatigue or impairment. In addition, for the benefit of both employers and employees, the solution needs to be intuitive, versatile, practical and, most importantly, immediate. Informed decisions By using a game-like, cognitive screen interface, Aware4Duty from Calgary- based Aware360 is a real-time mobile application that can measure employee Source: Conference Board of Canada F O C U S O N : H R T E C H

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