The National Safety Council (NSC) is calling on all employers to implement comprehensive programs – known as fatigue risk management systems – to tackle the issue of tired employees.

Recent NSC research shows that 90 percent of America’s employers have been negatively impacted by tired employees. Forty-three percent of employees admit they may be too tired to function safely at work.

Not only does fatigue impact employees’ wellbeing and safety, but the NSC reveals that it also costs the US economy more than $400 billion annually. An employer with 1,000 employees can expect to lose more than $1 million each year in missed workdays, lower productivity and increased healthcare due to employee fatigue.

“In our 24/7 world, too many employees are running on empty,” said Emily Whitcomb, Senior Program Manager for Fatigue Initiatives at NSC. “Employees are an organization’s greatest asset, and addressing fatigue in workplaces will help eliminate preventable deaths and injuries.”

The NSC has outlined key elements of a fatigue risk management system in its paper Managing Fatigue: Developing an Effective Fatigue Risk Management System. Another report from the Campbell Institute – the center for EHS excellence at the National Safety Council – details results from a pilot study conducted among world class safety organizations to assess worker fatigue and effective countermeasures. In Understanding Fatigue Risk: Assessment and Countermeasures, the Campbell Institute identifies a persistent gap between how employers and employees view fatigue and makes the case for changing culture to enhance safety.

“Even employers with state-of-the-art safety programs feel the negative effects of fatigue,” said John Dony, Director of the Campbell Institute “As employers work to eliminate risks, we encourage them to implement fatigue risk management systems and lean on the Council and the Campbell Institute for help.”

Additional information about workplace fatigue is available at nsc.org/fatigue.

eDriving’s white paper, Awake at the Wheel, specifically addresses the issue of fatigued driving, including the key features of a fatigue risk management system, information on educating and communicating with employees and tips on trip scheduling/ route planning to help minimize fatigue risks.