Fatigue: Know the signs

Managing fatigue is important for all workers but it’s especially so in the emergency services.

After a road traffic accident while driving an ambulance at the end of a night shift, newly qualified paramedic Jon Rogers set out to learn from the experience and research how to prevent future incidents and accidents caused by fatigue.

Jon’s research into managing fatigue has included adapting – with permission – two posters produced by the Association of Anaesthetists #FightFatigue campaign. The changes to the posters have made them more relevant for the ambulance sector and they have been approved for distribution as part the Trust’s ongoing push to support our people’s wellbeing.

Alongside these posters, Jon has shared his experience and his research in a case study which was featured by the College of Paramedics in ‘Paramedic Insight’.

The first poster is a fatigue toolkit to make sure you and your crewmate get home safely, while the second, entitled “Working Well at Night”, offers advice on adjusting to different shift patterns. Other #FightFatigue related posters and resources are available at https://anaesthetists.org/Fatigue.

The posters and Jon’s case study can be found below. Please share with your teams and continue to look out for one another.

Published 8th October 2021