You would be hard pressed to find anyone who has not been tired at work. In fact, a survey from the National Sleep Foundation found that two-thirds of Americans don’t have their sleep needs met during the week. Although we may all get fatigued from time to time, sleep deprivation can place workers, consumers, and the general public at increased risk of suffering injuries in preventable accidents.

A prime example of the dangers posed by tired workers can be seen in the highly publicized lawsuit between Tracy Morgan and Walmart settled just last week. In that case, it was discovered that the Walmart truck driver had been awake for over 24 hours before he caused the fatal accident.

At The Daspit Law Firm, we know that sleep deprivation is a serious problem that poses serious risks. To put the problem into perspective, our team compiled a list of 7 dangers associated with sleep deprived workers:

• Increased Risk of Distraction - A lack of sleep makes it difficult for a person to remain focused on a particular task, which can cause serious risks when safety depends on safety. In addition to being more susceptible to distractions, tired workers may also have a hard time keeping track of events and developing consistent strategies.
• Less Communication - Communication is often key to staying safe on the job. According to research, however, a lack of sleep can cause employees to become worse communicators. Studies have found that sleep-deprived workers lower the volume of their voices, pause or forget things when speaking, have a tendency to mumble or mispronounce things, and often repeat themselves.
• Driving Impairment - There’s been plenty of research on the dangers of tired drivers, and many have found that driving tired can be as dangerous, if not more so, than driving drunk. It reduces reaction time, concentration, and other important skills crucial to safe driving.
• Error-Prone - Less sleep can make workers more prone to errors, both physically and cognitively. Tired workers can commit dangerous errors that directly cause harm, or may forget crucial steps that lead to dangerous situations.
• Difficulty Adjusting - In a lot of working environments, workers need to be able to adapt and adjust to a given situation, especially when unforeseen circumstances arise. When an employee is tired, they have a more difficult time adjusting.

Because sleep-deprived workers create serious dangers, many industries enforce strict regulations designed to ensure fatigued employees don’t cause preventable harm. At The Daspit Law Firm, we’re available to help injured victims and families explore these factors if they’ve suffered losses as a result of a tired worker. For more information about your case and how our attorneys can help, request a FREE consultation today.