Fatigue
Managing fatigue risks at work
Fatigue can arise from both work-related and non-work-related factors. It’s important to understand how these factors, individually or together, can impair a workers’ physical, mental or emotional capacity and create risks to health and safety.
What is fatigue?
Fatigue is a state of physical, mental or emotional impairment. Fatigue can develop over the short or long term and can prevent people from functioning safely as well as have health impacts.
In a work context, fatigue is more than feeling sleepy, tired and drowsy. It is a state of impairment which can impair:
- physical abilities like coordination, strength and reaction time
- mental and cognitive abilities like decision making and concentration
- emotional abilities like engaging with others or regulate emotions.
- Or a combination of any of the above.
Causes of fatigue
Fatigue can be caused by a range of hazards broadly grouped as:
Note. Appendix C of the Model Code of Practice – Managing the risk of fatigue at work (PDF)provides guidance on identifying, assessing and
controlling fatigue risks for each of the categories above.
Refer to: La Trobe University (2024) Rapid review on evidence of managing the risks associated with fatigue(PDF). The report provides an overview of the current research evidence on fatigue.
Fatigue implication
Fatigue is a work health and safety risk that can impair a worker’s physical and psychological capacity to perform work safely. It may contribute to psychological harm (such as psychological distress) and physical harm (including musculoskeletal disorders).
Fatigue can also increase the likelihood of incidents and injuries due to reduced alertness, slower reaction times, impaired judgement and decreased concentration. These effects may compromise both health and safety outcomes and overall work productivity.
Managing the factors that may cause workers to become fatigued is generally more effective and reliable than attempting to deal with the consequences once a worker is fatigued. This approach reflects the risk‑management principles set out in the model Code of Practice.
Duties under WHS laws
A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, workers and other persons are not exposed to risks to their physical and psychological health and safety, including the risk of fatigue. A PCBU must eliminate health and safety risks at work, or if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise these risks so far as is reasonably practicable. This duty aligns with the WHS requirement to manage fatigue as a hazard that can impair a worker’s ability to function safely
Workers must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and not do anything which could adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. Workers must also comply with any reasonable health and safety instructions given by the PCBU and cooperate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedures that have been communicated to them, including those related to managing fatigue. For example, this may include following policies on working second jobs or notifying the PCBU if they are becoming fatigued or are already fatigued.
Four-step risk management process
Manage fatigue risks using the same systematic process as other WHS hazards, as outlined in the Model Code of Practice.
1. Identify fatigue hazards
2. Assess fatigue risks
3. Control fatigue risks
4. Maintain and review control measures
Additional guidance and resources
- Model Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Fatigue at Work (Sept 2025)(PDF)
- Fatigue: a WHS issue – SafeWork SA(PDF)
- Managing fatigue in your workplace: for small business – SafeWork SA(PDF)
- Managing fatigue: for workers – SafeWork SA(external site)(PDF)
- HSR Assist Managing the risk of fatigue at work – SafeWork SA(PDF)
- Emergency services: guideline for risk managing fatigue – SafeWork SA(PDF)
- Managing fatigue risks from other WHS hazards
Resources from other organisations
- Fatigue management | NHVR(external site) National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
- Managing fatigue | ONRSR(external site) – Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator
- Sleep and fatigue | Healthy Workplaces(external site) – Preventative Health SA
- Fatigue – THINK!(external site) Road Safety – Think Road Safety