Research gaps and needs for preventing worker fatigue in the transportation and utilities industries

Abstract

Background The transportation and utilities industries include establishments engaged in the movement of passengers and freight, or the provision of public power, water, and other services. Along with the warehousing industry, they make up the US National Occupational Research Agenda's Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (TWU) industry sector. In 2018 the sector composed 5% of the US workforce, with approximately 8 million workers. TWU workers experienced 19% of all fatalities among U.S. workers in 2018 and 7% of total occupational injuries and illnesses. Methods Around‐the‐clock operations, heavy workloads, long and irregular shifts, complicated schedules, and time pressures characterize work across the US TWU sector. However, there are considerable differences in worker priorities and concerns between TWU industries. Major areas of concern within the sector include disparities in work schedules; required training for employee fatigue awareness and prevention; physical and mental job demands; and safety culture. Results Strategies for fatigue mitigation are critical to reduce the prevalence of injuries, safety‐critical events, and crashes in TWU workers. Further research on the incidence and characterization of fatigue among TWU workers will guide the development of effective mitigation strategies. The influence of work scheduling on missed sleep opportunities and disrupted circadian rhythms should be determined. Evaluation of fatigue mitigation strategies can lead to the adoption of the most effective ones for each TWU industry. Conclusion Implementation of effective strategies is critical for the health, safety, wellbeing, and productivity of workers in the TWU sector.

Examining the Landscape of Cognitive Fatigue Detection: A Comprehensive Survey

“…Furthermore, cognitive fatigue manifests differently across contexts. Repetitive tasks like assembly lines induce distinct fatigue patterns compared to complex decision-making in high-risk environments like aviation [208,209]. This variability demands context-aware fatigue detection models that adapt to various task demands and environmental factors.…”

Approaches to managing work‐related fatigue to meet the needs of American workers and employers

“…Studies in work‐related fatigue risk most often involve the transportation, healthcare, and public safety sectors. Sieber et al summarize extensive literature concentrating on the transportation industry but find that little has been published about utility workers 25 . While the transportation and utility sectors share similarities in terms of nonstandard schedules such as long and irregular shifts, there are substantially more resources and regulations (e.g., hours of service) existing for some groups of transportation workers (including aviation, rail, and commercial trucking) than for utility workers.…”

“…Sieber et al summarize extensive literature concentrating on the transportation industry but find that little has been published about utility workers. 25 While the transportation and utility sectors share similarities in terms of nonstandard schedules such as long and irregular shifts, there are substantially more resources and regulations (e.g., hours of service) existing for some groups of transportation workers (including aviation, rail, and commercial trucking) than for utility workers. Stress and work pressures are also identified as significant fatigue factors, suggesting that fatigue management strategies should also consider addressing these salient issues.…”

Scoping Review on Measurement Tool for Work Fatigue

“…Strategies for fatigue mitigation are critical to reduce the prevalence of injuries, safety-critical events, and crashes in workplace. Further research on the incidence and characterization of fatigue among workers will guide the development of effective mitigation [18]. Evaluation of fatigue mitigation strategies can lead to the adoption of the most effective one for industry or workplace [19].…”