Businesses Urged to Improve Fatigue Management as Long Working Hours Linked to Rising Safety Risks

Health and safety advisers are warning businesses to take a closer look at fatigue management after recent industry reviews highlighted the growing impact of long working hours, shift patterns and workload pressure on workplace safety.

The issue is being reported across construction, transport, manufacturing, facilities management and professional services, where extended working days and irregular schedules have become more common.

Safety specialists say fatigue is increasingly being recognised as a significant workplace hazard, particularly in roles involving driving, machinery operation, decision-making or supervision of high-risk activities. Unlike visible hazards, fatigue can develop gradually and may go unnoticed until performance is affected.

A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive said employers are expected to consider fatigue as part of their risk assessments. “Tiredness can impair concentration, reaction time and judgement in the same way as alcohol or medication. Organisations should ensure that working hours, rest periods and workload demands do not create avoidable risks to health and safety,” the spokesperson said.

Industry surveys suggest that some businesses are relying heavily on overtime, agency staff and extended shifts to meet operational demands. While these arrangements can help maintain productivity, safety professionals say they can also increase the likelihood of mistakes, near misses and accidents if not properly managed.

Consultants working with large contractors report that fatigue is often linked to project deadlines and staffing shortages. “People want to get the job done, so they work longer hours or skip breaks,” said Paul Richards, an occupational safety adviser. “The problem is that tired workers are more likely to make poor decisions, forget procedures or overlook hazards. That creates risk not only for themselves but for everyone on site.”

Transport and logistics operators have also reported concerns about driver fatigue, particularly where early starts, night work or long-distance travel are involved. In some cases, companies have introduced monitoring systems and stricter scheduling controls to ensure drivers have adequate rest between shifts.

Unions say the issue is not limited to physical work. Office-based staff and managers can also experience fatigue when workloads increase or when remote working blurs the boundary between work and personal time. “Fatigue doesn’t always come from heavy lifting,” said a representative from a national union. “Mental exhaustion can affect concentration just as much as physical tiredness, and that can lead to errors with serious consequences.”

Some organisations have begun reviewing shift patterns, limiting consecutive working days and providing training for managers on recognising signs of fatigue. Others are including fatigue risk in incident investigations and safety audits, rather than treating it as a welfare issue.

Safety professionals say the growing focus reflects a wider change in expectations. Richards added: “Fatigue used to be seen as part of the job. Now it’s recognised as a controllable risk. Businesses that ignore it are likely to see higher absence, more mistakes and a greater chance of serious incidents.”

As regulators continue to emphasise proactive risk management, fatigue control is increasingly being treated as a core element of occupational health and safety systems. For organisations operating structured safety frameworks such as ISO 45001, demonstrating that working hours and workload pressures are properly assessed is becoming an important part of showing effective control of workplace risk.

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