161: Sustained High Workload/Fatigue
Definition/Typical Issues
Were personnel fatigued (i.e., worn out) by extended periods of high physical workload? Was the person fatigued due to chronic physical workload?
Examples
Example 1
- The thickness of a sheet material needed constant monitoring and adjustment by the operator (15 to 20 times an hour). The adjustment required a great deal of force to be applied to the adjustment wheel. As a result, operators sometimes did not make the required adjustments.
Example 2
- Personnel in the warehouse stacked 30-pound boxes of finished product onto pallets. They were assigned to work 8-hour shifts with three breaks. Worker stress injuries were frequently occurring just prior to the break periods.
Typical Recommendations
- Automate the system so that an employee is not required to constantly manipulate controls.
- Make the system more stable to reduce the number of control adjustments required.
- Increase the frequency and/or length of break periods.
- Have personnel perform stretching and warm-up exercises prior to starting work.
- Rotate workers assigned to tasks to vary the physical work.
- Consider methods to allocate tasks to a machine instead of a human.
- Automate the task to reduce the physical burden placed on personnel.
- Modify the system to provide mechanical assistance in performing the task (e.g., cranes, lifts, carts).
Cross-References
| Maritime Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 145 | Sustained High Workload/Fatigue |