Signs of Fatigue Poor memory Impairs short-term memory so we forget what we have and have not done Physical signs Repeated yawning Cannot recall recent conversations or Rubbing eyes information read Staring blankly, eyes going in and out of focus Reduced attention Frequent/long blinks Difficulty dividing our attention Difficulty keeping eyes open appropriately between multiple tasks Head nodding Hard to plan for future actions Concentration lapses Negative mood Easily distracted from the task in hand Reduced tolerance for what is going on Become fixated on one particular task around us. (‘narrowing of focus’/cognitive Become irritable and are more easily tunnelling’) so too much attention or frustrated. insufficient attention is paid to Lethargic and lacking in initiative and peripheral events and auxiliary tasks motivation. Reduced willingness to interact with Impaired problem solving others. Disruption of problem solving processes Identification & evaluation of Reduced communication alternative courses of action Reduced willingness and ability to Construction of mental images communicate Integration of incoming Less descriptive language information with existing May neglect to pass on important knowledge information to colleagues Persevere with ineffective solutions Slips and /or lapses Increased risk taking Slips i.e. accidentally doing the wrong Reduced ability to assess risks – thing e.g. picking up the wrong tool Increased willingness to take risks Lapse i.e. accidentally not doing the More likely to cut corners – right thing e.g. forgetting to tighten a nut Accept lower standards in accuracy and performance
Signs of Fatigue Physical signs Repeated yawning Rubbing eyes Staring blankly, eyes going in and out of focus Frequent/long blinks Difficulty keeping eyes open Head nodding Negative mood Reduced tolerance for what is going on around us. Become irritable and are more easily frustrated. Lethargic and lacking in initiative and motivation. Reduced willingness to interact with others. Reduced communication Reduced willingness and ability to communicate Less descriptive language May neglect to pass on important information to colleagues Slips and /or lapses Slips – i.e. accidentally doing the wrong thing e.g. picking up the wrong tool Lapse – i.e. accidentally not doing the right thing e.g. forgetting to tighten a nut Poor memory Impairs short-term memory so we forget what we have and have not done Cannot recall recent conversations or information read Reduced attention Difficulty dividing our attention appropriately between multiple tasks Hard to plan for future actions Concentration lapses Easily distracted from the task in hand Become fixated on one particular task (‘narrowing of focus’/cognitive tunnelling’) so too much attention or insufficient attention is paid to peripheral events and auxiliary tasks Impaired problem solving Disruption of problem solving processes Identification & evaluation of alternative courses of action Construction of mental images Integration of incoming information with existing knowledge Persevere with ineffective solutions Increased risk taking Reduced ability to assess risks Increased willingness to take risks More likely to cut corners Accept lower standards in accuracy and performance
HS19-02_Handout-Fatigue-signs.docx