Fatigue While Working Which Can Have Fatal Consequences

Mental fatigue and stress are not only caused by excessive load, but can also be caused by the work environment.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Workers return from the office on Jalan Embong Malang, Surabaya, East Java, Monday (26/2/2024).

Recently we were shocked by the news that the pilot and co-pilot of one of the private national airlines fell asleep while flying their plane from Kendari to Jakarta. They slept for “only” 28 minutes, but as a result, their flight path deviated (far) from what it should have been. Those of us who are used to flying here and there must be surprised that when we are at an altitude of several thousand feet above sea level, it turns out that the plane we are flying in is controlled automatically, who knows where it is going, while the pilot and/or co-pilot are asleep.

It has been suspected that the main factor causing them to fall asleep is fatigue. The flight took place early in the morning. This is our normal time to rest. According to information in various media, the reason the co-pilot fell asleep was because his wife had just given birth to twins so he didn't sleep due to taking turns taking care of the babies. Those of us who have had babies definitely understand the situation. However, the problem is not the reason, but the consequences of someone falling asleep at work which can have fatal consequences. Since the cause is fatigue, let's discuss this fatigue problem for a moment.

Aaronson and friends (1999) define physical fatigue as the functional failure of our body's organs as a result of excessive energy use. This fatigue can be caused by fever, infection, sleep disorders or pregnancy. However, chronic physical fatigue is something abnormal and unusual that will interfere with an individual's quality of life. Meanwhile, Grandjean (1979) said that physical fatigue makes us seem unable to carry out any activities; Our bodies feel heavy and our eyes seem like we can't open them, aka we are very sleepy.

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Van Dijk and Swaen (2003) found that 20 percent of workers suffer from physical fatigue. The two researchers from the country of windmills highlighted the consequences of this fatigue, which can cause workers to become incompetent and lead to work accidents injuring themselves and/or others. They also stated that physical fatigue can disrupt the social life of workers outside of the workplace.

In a more recent study, Caldwell and colleagues (2019) discuss the lack of sleep as a cause of physical fatigue. They mention that sleep is a biological need for humans, just like eating, drinking, and oxygen. However, while sleep should be an individual's choice, in reality, many factors in our surroundings influence that choice, such as living conditions and the surrounding environment, as well as workload and schedule.

In the case of the pilot and co-pilot above, it is clear that their living conditions (having just had twins) and their work schedule mean that they cannot choose to sleep because when they should be resting, they have to work. According to Hirshkowitz and friends (2015), humans need to sleep between 7 and 9 hours per day, but the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 36.7 percent of workers slept less than 7 hours during 2013-2014. These findings appear worse than Van Dijk and Swaen's findings above. Caldwell and friends stated that lack of sleep makes a person fall asleep at work and affects the individual's mood, performance and health.

What makes a worker not get enough sleep? According to Caldwell and friends, one of the causes is work based on division of work time (shifts). Usually there are 3-4 shifts a day, and each worker gets a turn on each shift. This means that workers' sleep times change so they often have difficulty adjusting their sleep times. Pilots and copilots are real examples of individuals who work on shifts.

KOMPAS/SUCIPTO

Workers bend iron in one corner of the National Axis area of ​​the Indonesian capital, Friday (6/10/2023).

According to Drake and Wright (2011), 18-26 percent of people in the United States work on shifts, a quite significant number. In Indonesia, shift workers still do not receive attention because the focus is on finding jobs to reduce unemployment. The important thing is to get a job first. However, there are also individuals who do not get enough sleep because of what is called sleep apnea or insomnia, namely difficulty sleeping even though the body is very tired. Based on research by Peppard and friends (2013), the number reaches 6-13 percent of the population in the United States.

Quoted from an online news source, individuals in Indonesia who experience sleep disorders reach 10 percent of the population. Therefore, both in the United States and in Indonesia, the number of individuals who lack sleep can reach tens of millions of people spread across various fields of work. Those who lack sleep are a hidden threat to safety and work quality. So, cases of pilots and copilots falling asleep are actually just the tip of the iceberg that we can see, while the hills below are like fire in the husk ready to threaten.

There is something else that causes a worker to experience sleep disturbances, namely what is called burnout. Ekstedt and friends (2006), in their research found that early disturbed sleep is an early indication of burnout. What is burnout? Many people interpret this as fatigue even though the fatigue is more than just physical, but has spread to the mental and is associated with stress.

Mental fatigue and stress are not only caused by excessive workloads, but can also be caused by the work environment, including the behavior and treatment of superiors and colleagues, the work atmosphere in the office, and traffic congestion to and from work. Although official working hours are only 8 hours a day, adding travel time can reach up to 12 hours a day. Not to mention if the atmosphere in the office is unsupportive, we will become more stressed and experience mental fatigue.

It's not uncommon for this fatigue and stress to carry over to the bedroom, making it difficult for us to get maximum rest. Davis (2023) states that burnout not only includes the chronic fatigue and cynicism that individuals experience in the office, but also the individual's inability to obtain and utilize the required resources (job resources). ) to complete the work.

Demerouti and friends (2001) then added another factor, namely job demands as a trigger for burnout. Burnout will get worse when job resources are not commensurate with job demands. We are required to complete a job, but the required resources are not provided or are minimally available.

KOMPAS/HARYO DAMARDONO

Work atmosphere at the MPK 21 Facebook Building in Menlo Park, California, Wednesday (12/6/2019).

In short, there are many factors that cause someone to fall asleep at work. We cannot immediately blame the person concerned. The organization where they work must first introspect their work atmosphere and environment. Several questions need to be answered, for example: (1) has the organization provided the resources needed to complete the work?, (2) are the job demands imposed on workers in accordance with their abilities?, (3) are their superiors and co-workers have provided the necessary support to complete the work?, (4) have shifts been arranged in such a way that the worker has enough time to adjust his sleep time so that he has enough sleep?

In parallel, organizations also need to check the health and environmental profiles of workers' residential areas, including whether they suffer from sleep disorders, have a long commute to and from the office, and whether their home environment is comfortable for rest. Of course, workers' personal problems are not entirely the responsibility of their workplace organization, but at least the organization needs to help provide a way out if they still want their workers to perform optimally and work without endangering themselves and those around them.

ARSIP PRIBADI

Budi W Soetjipto

Budi W Soetjipto is a lecturer at the FEB University of Indonesia and on the Board of Trustees of ISMS.