Construction, infrastructure, logistics, and manufacturing are some fields where operations tend to go on round-the-clock.
It means employing labour in rotating shifts to support these operations.
But if these shifts aren’t planned well, you’ll end up with fatigued workers. 46% of mining workers and 19% of construction workers are susceptible to it, as they work over 50 hours a week.
The problem here is that fatigue doesn’t just make a worker tired, it also affects their productivity, reaction time, and decision-making. These factors directly impact your site safety and project delivery.
It’s easy to think that fatigue management is solely your responsibility. The fact, however, is that labour hire companies need to share the load. But most just do the bare minimum: filling shifts. What they overlook is actively managing fatigue risk, and that’s a critical gap that needs filling.
What Fatigue Management Actually Means (Beyond Shift Scheduling)
Fatigue management is all about taking the right steps to identify stress factors and reduce worker fatigue. Correct shift scheduling is just a part of the process.
Some other measures you can take include providing breaks, avoiding long hours, and reducing the physical or mental demands of a role.
It’s important to get this right as fatigue impacts workers physically, mentally, and emotionally. And its risks extend to your entire site.
A fatigued worker can put themselves and coworkers in harm’s way. Some fatigue-related incidents could arise from:
Losing control of heavy machinery or vehicles, like a forklift.
Lapses in basic WHS protocol compliance.
Slipping or falling while working at heights.
Loss of concentration while doing high-risk tasks like welding.
It’s no surprise then that the injury rate of shiftworkers is almost double that of others. And the most common factor for these injuries? Fatigue.
Apart from safety risks, fatigue also leads to increased absenteeism, poor productivity, and greater chances of turnover.
What Separates a Labour Partner from a Shift Filler
The labour hire agency’s role doesn’t end at providing workers to fill your shifts. Instead, they should sit down with you to discuss fatigue management before the process even begins.
A top-tier labour partner won’t walk away after supplying headcount. Instead, they’ll proactively work with you and advise on shift patterns, rest periods, travel time, and workload. Here’s how these factors affect workers:
Long commutes reduce a worker’s recovery window. They should find workers closer to your sites to mitigate commuter fatigue.
The rest periods between shifts should be long enough for the workers to recover physically and mentally.
Sustainable shifts without rotating schedules or back-to-back night shifts mean workers have a more predictable workload.
High-demand tasks can cause faster exhaustion. Agencies must advise on correct workload distribution.
Even once the workers start working on your site, the right labour hire agency will keep in constant communication with them to identify any potential fatigue risks.
Ultimately, they’ll help you avoid situations where you have to resort to reactive steps like urgent shift covers and overtime to get work done. These lead to inconsistent working hours and shorter recovery windows, which can increase fatigue risk.
Best Practice: Managing Fatigue Across a 24/7 Workforce
Some of the prime reasons for fatigue include the lack of rest, prolonged working hours, irregular shifts, and heavy workloads.
You can fix this through proper workforce management.
Some of the best practices for this include:
Plan shifts to provide workers at least 12 hours of continuous recovery between shifts, as recommended by Safe Work Australia.
Place a cap on the number of weekly overtime hours. Working over 55 hours a week significantly increases stroke risk.
Provide and ensure smooth access to worker welfare facilities, such as clean washrooms and climate-controlled shelters.
Schedule regular shifts and avoid last-minute changes to shift patterns. If a change is needed, provide as much notice as possible.
Avoid scheduling critical safety work between 2 am and 6 am as the circadian rhythm is at its lowest during this time.
Don’t decide shifts solely based on the headcount. Distribute demanding workloads across the crew rather than relying on a small pool of high-performing workers to carry the load.
Have a clear fatigue policy and process for workers to report fatigue.
You should also abide by the other best practices provided in the model Code of Practice for managing fatigue.
Supporting Worker Wellbeing Beyond the Roster
To take things a step further, you should build a site culture that encourages workers to communicate transparently.
They must feel confident about raising any fatigue concerns without fearing loss of future shifts or any other negative consequences.
It’s equally important to conduct regular health and safety briefings and train site supervisors to spot the physical signs of fatigue (slow responses, irritability, lapses in concentration) during pre-starts.
Conducting regular check-ins with workers and supervisors to discover any fatigue-related concerns is another good idea. This is also where the labour hire provider comes in. The right one will work with you to assess team morale and energy levels.
Some other strategies to implement include:
Discourage after-hours calls.
Provide flexible breaks.
Allow at least one full day off a week.
Improve lighting, ventilation and air quality of your site.
Provide healthy food and drinking water.
The result is increased productivity, reduced fatigue-related incidents, and improved retention. It also improves employee satisfaction levels.
The Compliance Benefits of Getting This Right
Managing fatigue is a requirement under the WHS. When you take measures to prevent worker fatigue, you get dual benefits of meeting WHS compliance and enhanced site safety.
Your operational risk will also diminish significantly through decreased incident rates. This helps lower your insurance premiums and prevents worker compensation claims.
Additionally, a well-rested workforce makes labour forecasting more predictable and reduces unplanned downtime. This translates to on-time project completion.
Questions to Ask Your Labour Hire Provider
Before you choose a labour hire provider, you should vet them to understand whether they recognise the importance of their role in fatigue management.
Ask them these questions to understand whether they’re the right fit:
How do you manage shift allocation and worker fatigue risk?
What are your maximum limits on weekly work hours and consecutive shifts?
Do you monitor worker wellbeing across the engagement, or only at placement?
What fatigue management training and awareness do workers receive before arriving at our site?
How do you identify and prevent workers from double-dipping (taking shifts across multiple agencies without disclosure)?
How do you support clients in balancing productivity, compliance, and workforce sustainability?
Fatigue Management is a Shared Responsibility
At Connect People, we work closely with clients throughout the project lifecycle and understand the importance of the labour provider’s role in managing fatigue.
Managing a round-the-clock workforce? Book a 15-minute fatigue risk review with our team. We'll walk through your current shift structure, flag the risks, and show you where the gaps are. Connect with our team to discuss.