Special Topics in Safety Management

Workplace Sleep Issues Can Be a Real Nightmare: Health and Safety Implications Examined

You know the feeling: It’s 3:00 p.m. and that heavy, drowsy sensation is banging at the door of your brain to get in. Most sleepy workers have to reach for caffeine or just power through, with results that can range from uncomfortable to deadly. Keep reading to learn more about the personal and economic toll of employee sleepiness, the challenges of shiftwork, and how you can help your employees get the quality and quantity of sleep they need to work safely.

Many businesses glorify the executive who logs 100-hour workweeks or the road warrior who lives out of a suitcase in multiple time zones. But Harvard Medical School Professor of Sleep Medicine Charles A. Czeisler says such behavior does not equate to top performance and, in fact, puts people and companies at risk. While businesses have polices designed to protect employees against smoking, sexual harassment, and other risks, they push employees to the brink by expecting them to work too long without enough sleep. Read more.

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