WHAT IS STRESS | STRESS | FATIGUE | SYMPTOMS OF FATIGUE

               WHAT IS  STRESS | STRESS | FATIGUE | SYMPTOMS OF FATIGUE?

Stress | Fatigue

WHAT IS  STRESS | STRESS | FATIGUE | SYMPTOMS OF FATIGUE?

Stress is a natural physical response to any situation that makes a person feel threatened. The instant a person senses danger of any kind, the bodily defenses respond automatically by putting it into a heightened state of alertness, it’s a condition known as the fight-or-flight-or-freeze response or stress response.

The physical effects of the stress response include rapid heartbeat and breathing, a tightening of the muscles, and raised blood pressure. In moderation, the stress response can be a positive thing - it sharpens the concentration and drives forward to meet life’s challenges, focusing on a complex task or working to a deadline. Stress only becomes a problem when one’s limits are exceeded.

Stress is the consequence of a lack of fit between individual needs and the demands of those of the environment. Psychosocial hazards may affect both psychological and physical health directly or indirectly through the experience of stress.

PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS

Psychosocial risk factors and work-related stressors can depend on the nature of the job or task or can depend on individual employee differences. These risk factors stressors can include but are not limited to:

1.       Job Strain

High psychological job demands combined with low job decision latitude or job control.

2.       Work Role Issues

Role conflict and ambiguity refer to workers’ understanding of their role within the organization and whether the organization ensures that roles do not conflict. This includes a conflicting or unclear understanding of performance requirements and job responsibilities, frequent or sudden changes in roles; or numerous job responsibilities.

3.       Shift Work and Long Work Hours

Stress commonly follows extensive shift work, long hours of labor, job tasks that require interruption to sleep patterns, and resulting fatigue. The increased stress risk is caused by difficulties in inverting biological circadian rhythms, reduced length and poor quality of daytime sleep, and conflicting work/home demands.

Twelve-hour work shifts result in an increased prevalence of fatigue and stress, especially for those doing overtime. The negative health consequences of working 12-hour night shifts are far greater than those employed in 12-hour day shifts.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified shift work with circadian disruption or Chrono disruption as a probable human carcinogen. this classification resulted from the IARC’s assessment that, although the evidence for a carcinogenic effect in man is currently “limited,” the evidence from animal experiments is already adequate. An elevated risk of cancer might arise from chronic disturbances or disruptions in the temporal organization of biological 24-hour rhythms that normally run in parallel and that couple the individual to the daily alternation of light and darkness, and day and night.

4.       Time Pressure

Time pressure or role overload refers to the requirement to work very hard and very fast to meet Key Performance Indicators set for the job or task, having inadequate time to complete work tasks and requirements. Time pressure may also result from unrealistic deadlines or inadequate resourcing to achieve work tasks. Work pacing dictated by machines and electronic monitoring of performance has been shown to create time pressure if not well-designed or implemented.

5.       Effort-Reward Imbalance

High efforts are combined with low rewards. Rewards include respect, support, fair treatment, promotion opportunities, and income and job security.

6.       Lack of Co-Worker Support and Interpersonal Relationships

Examples of these include a poor social environment and a lack of support or help from co-workers and supervisors.

7.       Career Concerns

Examples of these include job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion, Fear of redundancy, or forced early retirement are potential stressors relating to career development. Another source of job dissatisfaction would be under or over-promotion arising from a failure to advance or promotion to a position beyond one’s capabilities.

8.       Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is a significant occupational hazard, and one health manifestation of the effects of workplace violence is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be an occupational hazard for workers recovering from serious injuries on the job.

9.       Bullying

Bullying is characterized by persistent negative actions which create a perceived power imbalance and a hostile working environment. It takes on many forms, including excessive workplace monitoring, unreasonable workloads, verbal abuse or overt criticism, and even isolating individuals through gossip or practical jokes. Examples of these include verbal abuse, threatening conduct, intimidation, humiliation, or sabotage by others that prevented work from getting done.

The reported effects of bullying include decreased self-esteem in the target, lower physical and emotional health, depression, a higher incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, and intent to leave an organization.

10.   Fatigue

Fatigue is the state of lack of mental alertness, or drowsiness resulting from insufficient sleep, prolonged mental or physical work, or extended periods of stress or anxiety. Boring or repetitive tasks can intensify feelings of fatigue. Fatigue can be described as either acute or chronic.

Fatigue is a result of physiological factors and is not a state of mind that can be reversed with motivation, training, or experience. Fatigue can occur over a short less than 24-hour period, which is known as acute fatigue, or builds over days and weeks, which is known as cumulative fatigue.

Acute fatigue can be experienced after a single episode of sleep loss or reduced sleep following, for example, an extended period of wakefulness, sleep disturbances, sleep disorders, or inadequate sleep. Acute fatigue can occur when shifting from day shift to night shift if adequate sleep is not obtained on the change-over day and the effect can persist for some days, particularly when shifting from night to day shifts.

Acute fatigue results from short-term sleep loss or short periods of heavy physical or mental work. The effects of acute fatigue are of short duration and usually can be reversed by sleep and relaxation

Factors that may influence fatigue are shift rotation patterns, balanced workloads, the timing of tasks and activities, availability of resources, and the workplace environment e.g., lighting, ventilation, temperature, etc.

Signs and symptoms of fatigue:

·         Weariness

·         Tiredness

·         Sleepiness, including falling asleep against your will microsleeps

·         Irritability

·         Reduced alertness, concentration, and memory

·         Lack of motivation

·         Depression

·         Giddiness

·         Headaches

·         Loss of appetite

·         Digestive problems

·         Increased susceptibility to illness.

The fatigue cannot be measured, it is difficult to separate the effects of long working hours or lack of sleep from any changes in incident or injury rates. However, studies report the effects of fatigue as

·         Reduced decision-making ability

·         Reduced ability to do complex planning

·         Reduced communication skills

·         Reduced productivity or performance

·         Reduced attention and vigilance

·         Reduced ability to handle stress on the job

·         Reduced reaction time - both in speed and thought

·         Loss of memory or the ability to recall details

·         Failure to respond to changes in surroundings or information provided

·         Unable to stay awake e.g. falling asleep while operating machinery or driving a vehicle.

·         Increased tendency for risk-taking

·         Increased forgetfulness

·         Increased errors in judgment

·         Increased sick time, absenteeism, rate of turnover

·         Increased medical costs

·         Increased incident rates