Signs of fatigue can be seen in every workplace. Regardless of industry, we’ve all been in a situation where we’ve had to sit in a room full of people and fight the urge to fall asleep right then and there (and maybe some of us were unsuccessful). Or if you’ve been well-rested in those situations, you’ve likely had a laugh at someone else who nodded off. 

But fatigue in the workplace is no funnier than someone being impaired by drugs or alcohol while working. Because that’s what fatigue is—an impairment. The perception of fatigue is that it’s something you can just shake off or have another coffee to instantly cure it. Or worse, people can be experiencing the early stages of fatigue without realizing it or it can go undetected in others before the visual cues of yawning or nodding begin.

The effects of fatigue can impact us mentally and physically in numerous ways.  It can compromise our decision-making leading us to take safety shortcuts or overlook known risks. Tired workers are also more distracted and their reaction times are slower. Driving is a familiar example of how those three effects of fatigue can impact daily functions in a serious way. Multiply those risks with the social perception of fatigue not being that serious and the challenge of managing human factors and it’s not surprising that fatigue continues to be a problem. 

Since fatigue carries so much risk and is never going away, companies need to make serious commitments to managing it. And the best way to get started is to learn from someone who is already doing it really well. 

We recently learned that our colleagues at Torex Gold Resources Inc. are engaged in a multi-year strategy to identify and reduce operator fatigue, part of which includes piloting a real-time wearable fatigue detection technology and rolling out site-specific fatigue management interventions. Their efforts and results are so impressive that SafeStart sponsored a Safety+Health (NSC) webinar to feature Nelson Bodnarchuk, Vice President of Health and Safety Torex Gold Resources Inc., and Emily Tetzlaff, Health and Safety Project Analyst Torex Gold Resources Inc. entitled Proactively Managing Fatigue: Torex Gold’s Roadmap and Multi-Year Strategy.

Register now to join Nelson and Emily for this thought-provoking webinar on May 25, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET. The webinar highlights the measured success in reducing fatigue risks at Torex, providing valuable insights into their actions, tools and commitments required to keep workers safe. Learn about the innovative measures Torex has implemented and how every organization can prioritize the well-being of its workers and mitigate the risks of fatigue.