Published Saturday, 15 December, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
Workplaces warned not to take safety shortcuts to meet Christmas deadline
Queensland workplaces have been warned against taking shortcuts with health and safety as they rush to finish work before Christmas.
Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel today urged employers and workers to heed advice from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to avoid the dangers of fatigue.
“Many workplaces are at their busiest at this time of year, particularly retailers, warehouses, road transport companies, trades people and manufacturers, and they are working long hours to complete jobs before the holidays start,” Mr Mickel said.
“Working when mentally or physically exhausted impairs a person’s ability to think clearly, which is vital when making safety-related decisions.”
Mr Mickel said fatigue, which is mainly caused by a lack of sleep, can also result from prolonged periods of physical or mental effort without enough time to rest and recover.
“Studies have shown that staying awake for 17 hours can impair performance as badly as if you drove over the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.05%,” he said. “At 21 hours it’s the equivalent of double the legal drink driving limit.
“Common effects associated with fatigue are desire to sleep; lack of concentration; impaired recollection of timing and events; irritability; poor judgment; reduced capacity for interpersonal communication; reduced hand-eye coordination; reduced visual perception; reduced vigilance; and slower reaction times.
“The level of fatigue varies, and depends on workload, length of shift, previous hours and days worked, time or day or night worked and driving time required to get to or from a job.”
Mr Mickel said managing fatigue is a shared responsibility between employers and their workers, as it involves factors both inside and outside of work.
Employers and business operators are responsible under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 for protecting their workers from the adverse effects of fatigue.
Workers must ensure they are fit for duty and that they raise concerns about fatigue with their supervisor or workplace health and safety officer or representative.
A comprehensive Fatigue Management Guide to assist employers to manage the risks of fatigue in the workplace and a brochure Managing fatigue: handy tips for shift workers are available free from www.deir.qld.gov.au or by calling 1300 369 915.
Media contact: Chris Brown (07) 3237 1944 or Nathan Moir (07)
December 15, 2007
Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel today urged employers and workers to heed advice from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to avoid the dangers of fatigue.
“Many workplaces are at their busiest at this time of year, particularly retailers, warehouses, road transport companies, trades people and manufacturers, and they are working long hours to complete jobs before the holidays start,” Mr Mickel said.
“Working when mentally or physically exhausted impairs a person’s ability to think clearly, which is vital when making safety-related decisions.”
Mr Mickel said fatigue, which is mainly caused by a lack of sleep, can also result from prolonged periods of physical or mental effort without enough time to rest and recover.
“Studies have shown that staying awake for 17 hours can impair performance as badly as if you drove over the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.05%,” he said. “At 21 hours it’s the equivalent of double the legal drink driving limit.
“Common effects associated with fatigue are desire to sleep; lack of concentration; impaired recollection of timing and events; irritability; poor judgment; reduced capacity for interpersonal communication; reduced hand-eye coordination; reduced visual perception; reduced vigilance; and slower reaction times.
“The level of fatigue varies, and depends on workload, length of shift, previous hours and days worked, time or day or night worked and driving time required to get to or from a job.”
Mr Mickel said managing fatigue is a shared responsibility between employers and their workers, as it involves factors both inside and outside of work.
Employers and business operators are responsible under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 for protecting their workers from the adverse effects of fatigue.
Workers must ensure they are fit for duty and that they raise concerns about fatigue with their supervisor or workplace health and safety officer or representative.
A comprehensive Fatigue Management Guide to assist employers to manage the risks of fatigue in the workplace and a brochure Managing fatigue: handy tips for shift workers are available free from www.deir.qld.gov.au or by calling 1300 369 915.
Media contact: Chris Brown (07) 3237 1944 or Nathan Moir (07)
December 15, 2007