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Work-related fatigue guide for employers

Guidance on the following pages may help employers prevent and respond to work-related fatigue.

Definition of work-related fatigue

Fatigue is an acute and/or ongoing state that leads to physical, mental or emotional exhaustion and prevents people from functioning safely. Working long hours, with intense mental or physical effort, or during some or all of the natural time for sleep, can cause fatigue. All of these have obvious implications for workplace and public safety. Fatigue can also have long-term effects on health.

Introduction to fatigue in the workplace  

This guidance explains the factors that can lead to fatigue, including the direct impacts of the work a person does, the indirect impacts of their workplace environment, and individual factors.

Risk management approach to fatigue  

This guidance can help employers to eliminate or reduce the risk of fatigue at a workplace.

Implementing risk management systems to control work-related fatigue  

This guidance may help employers to implement an effective risk management system to minimise the risks of work-related fatigue.

Fatigue management policy and procedure  

A sample fatigue management policy and procedure to help manage workplace risk associated with fatigue and to provide guidelines for rostering employees.

Work-related fatigue guide for employers  

This guidance may help employers control the risk of work-related fatigue. It may also benefit employees and health and safety representatives.

PDF version

Work-related fatigue: A guide for employers (PDF version)  

How to prevent workplace injuries caused by fatigue.