

In 2011, Australian Coroner Annette Hennessy compared fatigue to drunk driving. These workers are more susceptible to poor quality and quantity of sleep.įatigue is a form of impairment. Mine workers in developing countries depend on unreliable public transport systems which add additional commuting hours to their workday. Studies recognise a connotation between lifestyle and fatigue.

Factors compounding fatigue levels in mine workers include disruptions in circadian rhythms due to shift work, exposure to noise, vibration and chemicals, monotonous and repetitive nature of tasks and night shift driving. Sleepiness and fatigue increase human error and contribute to accidents which can be fatal. Globally mining operations are at risk of fatigued workers. Thus, fatigue is an indicator of baseline risk for the occurrence of errors and accidents. In an operational environment scenario where operating systems are dependent on human performance, fatigue can be defined as an inclination to degrade performance.

5 Fatigue detection and monitoring technologies.
