Safety implications of fatigue and sleep inertia for emergency services personnel

Drew Dawson; Sally A Ferguson; Grace E Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101386

Safety implications of fatigue and sleep inertia for emergency services personnel

Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Feb:55:101386. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101386. Epub 2020 Sep 8.

Authors

Drew Dawson¹, Sally A Ferguson², Grace E Vincent²

Affiliations

¹ Central Queensland University, Appleton Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: drew.dawson@cqu.edu.au.
² Central Queensland University, Appleton Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

PMID: 33027747
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101386

Abstract

Emergency services present a unique operational environment for the management of fatigue and sleep inertia. Communities request and often expect the provision of emergency services on a 24/7/365 basis. This can result in highly variable workloads and/or significant need for on-demand or on-call working time arrangements. In turn, the management of fatigue-related risk requires a different approach than in other more predictable shift working sectors (e.g., mining and manufacturing). The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of fatigue risk management that is accessible to regulators, policy makers and organisations in the emergency services sector. The review outlines the unique fatigue challenges in the emergency services sector, examines the current scientific and policy consensus around managing fatigue and sleep inertia, and finally discusses strategies that emergency services organisations can use to minimise the risks associated with fatigue and sleep inertia.

Keywords: Fatigue; Fatigue-risk management; Sleep inertia; Work health and safety.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Emergency Medical Services*
Fatigue / therapy
Humans
Sleep
Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm*
Work Schedule Tolerance