Work hours, workload, sleep and fatigue in Australian Rail Industry employees

• Published in: Applied ergonomics Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 202 - 209
• Main Authors: Dorrian, Jillian, Baulk, Stuart D., Dawson, Drew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 2011; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Accidents; Adult; Australia; Ergonomics; Fatigue; Fatigue - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Health; Rail industry; Railroad accidents & safety; Railroad transportation; Railroads; Sleep; Sleep - physiology; Sleep deprivation; Work hours; Work Schedule Tolerance - physiology; Work Schedule Tolerance - psychology; Working conditions; Working hours; Workload; Workload - psychology; Workloads; Australia; Fatigue; Sleep; Work hours; Rail industry; Workload

Research suggests that less than 5 h sleep in the 24 h prior to work and/or more than 16 h of wakefulness can significantly increase the likelihood of fatigue-related impairment and error at work. Studies have also shown exponential safety declines with time on shift, with roughly double the likelih...