At this time of year, some people are energized by the very thought of planning and attending parties, decorating, shopping to find the “right” gift for a loved one, and preparing a family dinner that will feed fifteen. For others, such events only pose additional stresses and challenges upon everyday life:  amidst the festivities, family functions, and errands, an income must still be earned; children require more supervision as school wraps up for the year; and snow continues to accumulate on driveways and walkways. Christmas can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating.

Under the wrong circumstances, physical and emotional highs and lows can result in a potentially deadly condition known as fatigue. According to a report developed by the Alberta Advisory Committee on Impairment in the Workplace (2003), fatigue can be caused by such factors as working long hours, night shifts, inadequate rest or extended hours of physical or mental activity. Citing an Australian study, the report suggests that when the effects of fatigue due to a lack of sleep are compared to the effects of overindulging in alcoholic beverages, functional impairment is greater in those that are fatigued.

Fatigue is non-discriminatory. It can affect anyone, in any occupation, at any time, and it can be difficult to identify its effects.  Some will suffer in silence and assume that their lethargy, lack of focus or slow reaction time is normal. Others who consistently suffer from fatigue will fall into a vicious cycle of believing that a good night’s sleep is a cure-all, when in reality this is a temporary band-aid solution to a deeper, more complex issue. 

What fatigues one person may present in an entirely different manner in the next individual. One person might function to a high degree in a stressful situation and production levels will remain constant. Another person might experience depression, irritability, giddiness, sleepiness and/or digestive issues that lead to little or no productivity. In the end, everyone has limitations.

Occupations such as equipment operator or health care worker require a high degree of focus and concentration in stressful situations for prolonged periods. As time passes, these jobs can be taxing on a worker’s physical and mental state that will undoubtedly affect alertness and reaction time. Under these conditions, one has a potentially lethal concoction.  

For those who are called upon to provide these types of services, society’s unquenchable thirst for instantaneous service only exacerbates worker fatigue. Snow removal from city streets is one example.  During the winter of 2008-2009 in Quebec, there were three separate incidents involving pedestrians being struck and killed by snow removal equipment. In two cases, fatigue most likely contributed to the deaths: both snowplow drivers were in excess of the government-sanctioned hour limit for operating heavy machinery with one already having a suspended driver’s licence for a previous breach of that same limit.      

Incidents like these become deadly when workers are unaware of their own limitations or they intentionally work beyond their boundaries. There are circumstances when life and work call for pushing the limits — a looming deadline for an incomplete project, or working overtime to put food on the table or to make a mortgage payment. In many cases, however, the root of the fatigue is not beyond the individual’s control.

Employers and employees alike must be aware that fatigue can play a significant role in impairment. While alcohol and drug tests serve an important purpose in ensuring a safe work environment, there is the more sinister, less well-known issue of fatigue lurking in the shadows of most peoples’ lives that can be just as deadly, especially during high-stress situations that require mental alertness and quick reaction time.

Each worker is responsible for knowing when they have reached their limit for stress and prolonged hours of work. Corporations also have a responsibility to ensure that workers are not required to undertake more work than they can safely handle, and to quash stigmas and stereotypes that individuals are weak if they cannot perform tasks in a timely manner under unreasonable, extreme or extraordinary circumstances. People need time for physical and mental restoration — there is nothing undignified or inhuman about it.

Perhaps 2011 is the time to make that difficult adjustment to attain a work-life balance. If not now, when? If you find yourself borrowing from your reserves too often out of apparent financial necessity, it is time to get a smaller house, a cheaper car or whatever it takes to bring your financial reality into alignment with a balanced lifestyle.

If fatigue is a palpable concern, I hope you can find time away from those stressors. It could save a life.

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Rob Cleveland is the Edmonton representative for the Christian Labour Association of Canada, a labour union representing 50,000 workers across a wide variety of sectors including construction, health-care, retail, service, transportation, mining and more.