Human-System Dis-Integration: Management of Stress, Strain and Fatigue in the Workplace

Abstract

Stress, strain and fatigue are words that have a variety of meanings and are used in different ways. For present purposes, they are used in relation to an exposure-outcome model that regards stress as the total demand or load acting on the person. The two most common outcomes resulting from exposure to excess stress are strain and fatigue, which in the present paper are seen as states of the whole person, rather than localised responses. Table 1 contrasts stress, strain and fatigue, seen as global ergonomic issues that act at the level of the whole person, with individual exposures that have local health outcomes. In the following discussion, ‘stress’ ‘strain’ and ‘fatigue’ are discussed at the macro-ergonomic or job/organisation level, rather than the micro-ergonomic or task/workspace level.

This paper aims to:

1. Show that terms such as stress, strain and fatigue have specific meanings over and above their colloquial meanings

2. Demonstrate how workplace stress, strain and fatigue can be measured using valid and reliable instruments designed for the purpose. The prevalence of stress, strain and fatigue in a workplace can be compared with standards and norms, often in comparable occupations.

3. Show that components of risk can be identified and prioritised to support ergonomic interventions.

4. Give examples of interventions.

5. Discuss recovery from stressful work and present recent some research themes

Keywords: Stress, strain, fatigue and recovery