Work‐related fatigue: A hazard for workers experiencing disproportionate occupational risks

Abstract

Background Long working hours and fatigue are significant occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards for working populations who experience disproportionate risks of injury and illness. These groups include young or new workers, aging workers, contingent and temporary workers, immigrant and nonnative workers, female workers, minority workers, workers with low levels of education and lower socioeconomic status, and small business employees. An increasing focus on newer determinants of health in the workplace, such as health equity and work‐life conflict, in worker populations at greater risk for injury or illness, provides an opportunity for researchers to address the causes and consequences of work‐related fatigue in high‐risk populations. Methods Articles in the OSH literature that addressed fatigue in higher‐risk workers were identified by the authors or recommended by subject matter experts in workplace fatigue as part of a Working Hours, Sleep and Fatigue Forum. Additional articles were identified by searching for a combination of specific at‐risk worker group titles (e.g., female workers, temporary workers) with fatigue or working hours. Results There remains a paucity of research specifically addressing working hours and fatigue among disproportionately at‐risk worker populations. The literature reviewed in this paper suggests that several of these populations are at increased risk of fatigue due to multiple factors, such as irregular shifts, lack of access to fatigue management resources, and socioeconomic barriers. Conclusions More research is needed to identify solutions to address fatigue in working populations who may be at greater risk for its consequences by virtue of adverse socioeconomic and related factors. Interventions to address work‐related fatigue in specific at‐risk worker groups should also consider the multiple and overlapping categories of risk within these populations.

Association of working hours and cumulative fatigue among Chinese primary health care professionals

“…According to previous studies, education level, occupation, and shift work may be the confounders, which need to be considered in the research (24)(25)(26). And with the findings in Table 1, among the basic information of employees in the primary health care system, the factors that significantly affect cumulative fatigue include the employees' age, education level, occupation, shift, and night shift.…”

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

“…In addition to our sector‐specific approach, two topic areas (populations at disproportionate risks, and economic evaluation) which cut across all industries were explored. Cunningham et al find that in addition to nonstandard shifts, lack of access to fatigue management resources and socioeconomic barriers may increase the risk for fatigue‐related health and safety concerns among young or new, female or minority workers, those with low levels of education or socioeconomic status, or those employed in small businesses 30 . Recognition of these challenges may identify additional intervention strategies such as improving access to resources and refining knowledge translation activities by incorporating different languages and modes of dissemination.…”

“…Cunningham et al find that in addition to nonstandard shifts, lack of access to fatigue management resources and socioeconomic barriers may increase the risk for fatiguerelated health and safety concerns among young or new, female or minority workers, those with low levels of education or socioeconomic status, or those employed in small businesses. 30 Recognition of these challenges may identify additional intervention strategies such as improving access to resources and refining knowledge translation activities by incorporating different languages and modes of dissemination. In their scoping review, Wong and colleagues explore how economic benefits and costs associated with nonstandard schedules are described in the current literature.…”

Identification of Subjective Fatigue accompanied by Hypertension in Female Workers Making Tiles in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…12,13 Female workers have a risk of getting tired faster than men, and this is because women's body and muscle sizes are relatively smaller due to hormonal influences. 14 Female hormones cause a woman's physique to be smoother with somewhat smaller sizes, such as the composition of bone mass and smaller pipe bone sizes in women. 11 In addition, women usually experience exacerbations of other psychiatric symptoms (which are not associated with fatigue) during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and report a greater prevalence of fatigue than men.…”