What is fatigue management?
Fatigue management is the structured approach organisations use to identify, assess, and control risks arising from tiredness, sleep loss, circadian disruption, and demanding work patterns.
It sits within broader health and safety management. In the UK, employers have a general duty to protect workers from harm — and fatigue is a recognised contributor to accidents, errors, and long-term health impacts.
Why fatigue matters
Section titled “Why fatigue matters”Fatigue affects alertness, reaction time, decision-making, and the ability to maintain concentration. In safety-critical and operationally intensive environments, the consequences can be serious.
Common contributors include:
- Extended or irregular working hours
- Insufficient recovery between shifts
- Night and early-morning work
- High workload and monotonous tasks
- Commuting and personal lifestyle factors
What good fatigue management looks like
Section titled “What good fatigue management looks like”Effective fatigue management typically combines:
- Policy and governance — clear accountability, roles, and escalation routes
- Risk assessment — identifying where fatigue could affect safety or performance
- Controls — roster design, rest provisions, monitoring, and worker engagement
- Review — learning from incidents, near-misses, and operational data
Many organisations adopt a fatigue risk management system (FRMS) as a structured framework, particularly where shift work is common.
UK context
Section titled “UK context”Regulatory expectations vary by sector. See the UK fatigue management overview for how general duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 interact with sector-specific rules.
Related pages
Section titled “Related pages”Further research
Section titled “Further research”This page will be expanded with references to HSE guidance, RSSB fatigue resources, and peer-reviewed sources on fatigue and performance.