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Workers need to practice good sleep hygiene—especially when they will be operating machinery or motor vehicles—and they need to know how to react when they start to feel sleepy behind the wheel.
A Good Night’s Rest
Being well-rested involves more than just going to bed on time the night before a long trip—and a well-rested worker is safer in all parts of a job, not just driving. Encourage workers to improve their sleep hygiene with the following suggestions:
- Set a regular schedule for going to bed every day—they can’t make up for a big deficit on weekends.
- Create an environment that promotes comfortable sleeping—quiet, dark, and cool, with a comfortable mattress and pillows.
- Get regular daily exercise, but not right before going to bed.
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- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, or heavy meals close to bedtime.
- Establish a soothing bedtime routine such as soaking in a warm tub, reading, or listening to soft music.
- Bedtime is not the time to start planning—or worrying.
- Make a point of organizing their lives so they can get the 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night that most people require.
Keeping Both Eyes Open
Once workers are behind the wheel, they need to react appropriately to prevent and respond to drowsiness. To avoid falling asleep behind the wheel, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety recommends that employees:
- Be especially careful during the late night, early morning, and mid-afternoon hours when drowsy driving crashes are most likely to occur.
- Stop if drowsy, take a short nap (15 to 20 minutes), and have a caffeine drink.
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- When driving long distances, stop and get out of the vehicle every couple of hours to stretch and refresh themselves. Also, set realistic and safe daily mileage goals.
- Avoid taking medications that cause drowsiness if they have to drive.
If you take steps to make sure that your drivers are well-rested and not impaired, you’ll reduce their risk of accidents.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at one more thing workers should hit before they hit the road—the “off” switch.