Fatigue has such a significant impact on workplace safety that the National Safety Council (NSC) has added it to it’s new list of occupational injury risks. This is the first time that worker fatigue has been included in this list.
The addition of fatigue in this annual report “sheds new light on the impact of fatigue” by educating on preventable deaths, advises Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
Fatigue was included in Injury Facts 2017 “because of alarming trends” and “because of alarming data” according to the NSC. In addition, expanded details such as mortality data related to mode of transportation, preventable deaths categorized by state and the rising statistic of teen driving deaths, were included.
Those working in transportation such as commercial drivers, manufacturing, warehousing and healthcare are most likely to be affected by lack of sleep, according to Injury Facts 2017.
Per the publication, the prevalence of short sleep duration appears to be getting worse. “In a combined sample of from 1985 and 1990, only 24 percent of workers reported short sleep duration, ” according to the book.
“Undercounted is Underinvested: How incomplete crash reports impact efforts to save lives” released during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, contained useful data showing that critical information determining the cause of roadway fatalities categorized by state is completely lacking.
The Large Truck Crash Causation Study reported that 13 percent of all drivers of commercial motor vehicles were considered to be fatigued at the time of their crash. Driver fatigue may be due to a lack of sleep, extended work hours, strenuous work or non-work activities or a combination of factors. Fatigue is a result of any physical or mental exertion and may greatly impair performance.
Another study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determined that driver alertness was related to the time of day more than the time-on-task. Most people are less alert at night, especially after midnight. Drivers on the road for an extended period of time may experience enhanced drowsiness.
In 2014 an estimated 846 lives were lost due to drowsy driving. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working with the National Institutes for Heath to reduce fatigue related deaths and injuries though understanding of drowsy driving.
“The road to zero deaths is paved with potholes,” said Deborah A.P. Hermann, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, “someone is seriously injured on our roads every eight seconds; someone is killed on our roads every 15 minutes. In too many cases, we are gathering the “what” but not the “why” and better data will enable us to make better decisions.”
Vititoe Law Group
Vititoe Law Group is committed to making our highways safer by reducing the number of drowsy drivers on the road. If you or someone you care about was injured, or you lost a loved one, and you believe driver fatigue was to blame, reach out to Vititoe Law Group today for a free evaluation of your claim. Our personal injury lawyers can determine if fatigue or distraction contributed to the cause of the accident.
