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By Neal Bolton Sleep deprivation is a major safety issue among workers in many industries. But for those who work in the waste business, early starts and lots of overtime place our workers at an elevated risk. What is sleep deprivation? It is simply a lack of the amount of sleep necessary to function. It may result in various mental and physical disorders that can include blurred vision, irritability, nausea, even death. Sleep deprivation is sometimes even used as a form of torture. According to sleep expert James Maas, a Cornell University psychologist, “One third of all Americans get six hours of sleep a night or less when they should be getting nine or 10.” This is much more serious than just being sleepy. According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, “Sixty percent of adult drivers say they have driven a vehicle while drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third have actually fallen asleep at the wheel in their lifetime.” In a survey by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 11% of the drivers surveyed had nodded off while driving during the past year. Of those who nodded off, 66% said they had six or fewer hours of sleep the previous night. In 1996, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall spoke at a symposium on driver fatigue, pointing to what he called “the most expensive fatigue-related accident in history—the grounding of the Exxon Valdez tanker.” Included in the list of probable causes were:
Worker fatigue can result from a late night on the town, staying up to watch TV, or having to deal with personal issues. But too often fatigue results from an excessive workload. According to OSHA, a normal work shift is generally considered to be a work period of no more than eight consecutive hours during the day, five days a week with at least an eight-hour rest in between. Any shift that incorporates more continuous hours, requires more consecutive days of work, or requires work during the evening should be considered extended or unusual. From this perspective, much of the waste industry relies on workers who are working extended or unusual shifts. Studies over the past several decades have shown that excessive overtime or extended workdays actually decrease worker efficiency. Beginning almost immediately, workers who log excessive overtime (10 or more hours per week) will show a decline in productivity each week until productivity reaches a permanent low after 10–12 weeks. Workers who are required to work extended periods of overtime will eventually produce less than they would under a 40-hour per week schedule. There are many factors that play into a worker’s ability to handle small amounts of occasional overtime. These include physical condition, mental condition, job stress, other outside emotional stresses, and monotony of task. But no matter how solid a person might be, as fatigue increases so does the risk of being involved in an accident. Fatigue can usually be cured if a person is able and willing to rest. Here are some signs that a person is suffering from sleep deprivation:
But the problem of sleep deprivation cannot be quantified simply by definitions and statistical information. The real problem is measured in injuries and deaths. In our industry it’s defined as a route driver whose shift starts at 4 a.m. and ends with an accident on the way to the landfill. Or it may be defined by a dozer operator who has worked 60 hours per week all summer and then forgets to turn and look before backing—and kills a customer. How serious is sleep deprivation? Pretty darn. Even if you never touch drugs or drink alcohol, studies show sleep deprivation and sleep disorders can put you at similar risk. Many accidents are caused by lack of sleep and exhaustion. In his presentation, Jim Hall also stated, “We found that the most critical factors in predicting fatigue-related accidents are the duration of the most recent sleep period, the amount of sleep in the past 24 hours, and whether the sleep was continuous or split. As a result of the findings, we recommended a revision of the hours-of-service regulations to give drivers the opportunity to get at least eight continuous hours of sleep.” In a study, the NTSB found that, “truck drivers in fatigue-related accidents had an average of 51⁄2 hours of sleep in the last sleep period prior to the accident. This is about an hour and a half less than what the drivers felt they needed to feel rested. It is also 21⁄2 hours less than the eight hours obtained on average by truck drivers in our study in nonfatigue-related accidents. The findings further indicate that truck drivers involved in fatigue-related accidents obtained less than seven hours of sleep in the 24-hour period before the accident, compared to more than nine hours obtained by drivers not involved in fatigue-related accidents.” In another study, researchers found that people who drive after being awake for approximately 18 hours performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent—still legally sober, but it’s pushing it. Part of this problem, and thus part of the solution rests on the shoulders of managers who push their crews too hard. And certainly some responsibility also rests on those workers who take all the overtime they can get. As managers, we need to give our workers reasonable work schedules and plenty of breaks. We need to be alert for the signs of sleep deprivation. This is a serious problem. Let’s wake up and deal with it. Neal Bolton is a consultant specializing in landfill operations and management. MSW - November/December 2006
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