Worker Fatigue in Electrical-Transmission and Distribution-Line Construction
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145, Issue 1
Abstract
Within the construction industry, electrical transmission and distribution workers (TD workers) account for one of the highest fatality rates. Because of the hazardous nature of the work, there is little margin for human error. Previous research shows that fatigue exacerbates human error, thus representing a critical safety factor for TD work. Although researchers have studied the causes and consequences of fatigue in laboratory settings and in other industries, there is no research specific to TD worker fatigue. To address this knowledge gap and explore the principal fatigue causes and consequences as recognized by the workers; 143 TD power company workers were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Additionally, fatigue identification and mitigation techniques relevant to TD work and the impact of fatigue in accident causation were discovered. The results revealed that TD workers perceive extreme temperatures and long shifts to be the principal causes of their fatigue, resulting in reduced work pace and the loss of attention as the primary consequences. The results suggest that fatigue laboratory research may not directly apply to field conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data-sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
The present study was successful because of the collaboration and interest of safety leaders, union representatives, supervisors, and workers who provided open and candid responses and who accommodated the research team for in-person field visits. We also would like to thank ELECTRI International for supporting this research. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ELECTRI International.
References
Agresti, A. 1996. An introduction to categorical data analysis. New York: Wiley.
Åhsberg, E., and F. Gamberale. 1998. “Perceived fatigue during physical work: An experimental evaluation of a fatigue inventory.” Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 21 (2): 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-8141(96)00071-6.
Åhsberg, E., F. Gamberale, and K. Gustafsson. 2000. “Perceived fatigue after mental work: An experimental evaluation of a fatigue inventory.” Ergonomics 43 (2): 252–268.
Albert, A., and M. R. Hallowell. 2013. “Safety risk management for electrical transmission and distribution line construction.” Saf. Sci. 51 (1): 118–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2012.06.011.
Balducci, P. J., M. R. Weimar, J. G. DeSteese, L. A. Schienbein, and J. M. Roop. 2003. “Electric power interruption cost estimates for individual industries, sectors, and the US economy.” In Proc., 25th Industrial Energy Technology Conf., 109–118. Houston: Texas A & M Univ.
Beckers, D. G. J., D. van der Linden, P. G. W. Smulders, M. A. J. Kompier, T. W. Taris, and S. A. E. Geurts. 2008. “Voluntary or involuntary? Control over overtime and rewards for overtime in relation to fatigue and work satisfaction.” Work Stress 22 (1): 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370801984927.
Brown, I. D. 1994. “Driver fatigue.” Hum. Factors 36 (2): 298–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872089403600210.
Cadick, J., M. Capelli-Schellpfeffer, and D. Neitzel. 2005. Electrical safety handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Chan, M. 2011. “Fatigue: The most critical accident risk in oil and gas construction.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 29 (4): 341–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2010.545993.
Choudhry, R. M., and D. Fang. 2008. “Why operatives engage in unsafe work behavior: Investigating factors on construction sites.” Saf. Sci. Constr. Saf. 46 (4): 566–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2007.06.027.
Craig, A. 1992. “Symptoms of acute and chronic fatigue.” Handbook of human performance, Vol. 1: The physical environment; Vol. 2: Health and performance; Vol. 3: State and trait, edited by A. P. Smith and D. M. Jones, 289–339. San Diego: Academic Press.
Czeisler, C. A., M. Dumont, J. F. Duffy, J. D. Steinberg, G. S. Richardson, E. N. Brown, R. Sánchez, C. D. Ríos, and J. M. Ronda. 1992. “Association of sleep-wake habits in older people with changes in output of circadian pacemaker.” Lancet 340 (8825): 933–936. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(92)92817-Y.
Dawson, D., and K. McCulloch. 2005. “Managing fatigue: It’s about sleep.” Sleep Med. Rev. 9 (5): 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2005.03.002.
Dawson, D., A. K. Searle, and J. L. Paterson. 2014. “Look before you (s)leep: Evaluating the use of fatigue detection technologies within a fatigue risk management system for the road transport industry.” Sleep Med. Rev. 18 (2): 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2013.03.003.
Dembe, A. E., J. B. Erickson, R. G. Delbos, and S. M. Banks. 2005. “The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: New evidence from the United States.” Occup. Environ. Med. 62 (9): 588–597. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2004.016667.
Ferguson, S. A., G. M. Paech, J. Dorrian, G. D. Roach, and S. M. Jay. 2011. “Performance on a simple response time task: Is sleep or work more important for miners?” Appl. Ergon. 42 (2): 210–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2010.06.010.
Folkard, S., and P. Tucker. 2003. “Shift work, safety and productivity.” Occup. Med. 53 (2): 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg047.
Fowler, F. J., Jr., and T. W. Mangione. 1990. Standardized survey interviewing: Minimizing interviewer-related error. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Gander, P., L. Hartley, D. Powell, P. Cabon, E. Hitchcock, A. Mills, and S. Popkin. 2011. “Fatigue risk management: Organizational factors at the regulatory and industry/company level.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 43 (2): 573–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2009.11.007.
Gill, M. J. 2017. “Chi-square.” The SAGE encyclopedia of communication research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Gillberg, M., and T. Åkerstedt. 1994. “Sleep restriction and SWS-suppression: Effects on daytime alertness and night-time recovery.” J. Sleep Res. 3 (3): 144–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.1994.tb00121.x.
González-Alonso, J., C. Teller, S. L. Andersen, F. B. Jensen, T. Hyldig, and B. Nielsen. 1999. “Influence of body temperature on the development of fatigue during prolonged exercise in the heat.” J. Appl. Physiol. 86 (3): 1032–1039. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1999.86.3.1032.
Gordon, L. B., and L. Cartelli. 2009. “A complete electrical hazard classification system and its application.” In Electrical Safety Workshop, 1–12. New York: IEEE.
Hallowell, M., B. Esmaeili, and P. Chinowsky. 2011. “Safety risk interactions among highway construction work tasks.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 29 (4): 417–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2011.552512.
Hallowell, M. R. 2010. “Worker fatigue: Managing concerns in rapid renewal highway construction projects.” Prof. Saf. 55 (12): 18–26.
Harrington, J. M. 2001. “Health effects of shift work and extended hours of work.” Occup. Environ. Med. 58 (1): 68–72. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.58.1.68.
Jackson, C. A., and L. Earl. 2006. “Prevalence of fatigue among commercial pilots.” Occup. Med. 56 (4): 263–268. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kql021.
Kajtna, T., V. Štukovnik, and L. D. Grošelj. 2011. “Effect of acute sleep deprivation on concentration and mood states with a controlled effect of experienced stress.” Zdravniški Vestnik 80 (5): 354–361.
Kunert, K., M. L. King, and F. W. Kolkhorst. 2007. “Fatigue and sleep quality in nurses.” J. Psychosocial Nurs. Mental Health Serv. 45 (8): 30–37.
Lerman, S. E., E. Eskin, D. J. Flower, E. C. George, B. Gerson, N. Hartenbaum, S. R. Hursh, and M. Moore-Ede. 2012. “Fatigue risk management in the workplace.” J. Occup. Environ. Med. 54 (2): 231–258. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318247a3b0.
Leung, M., I. Y. S. Chan, and J. Yu. 2012. “Preventing construction worker injury incidents through the management of personal stress and organizational stressors.” Accid. Anal. Prev. 48 (Sep): 156–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2011.03.017.
Lorist, M. M., M. A. Boksem, and K. R. Ridderinkhof. 2005. “Impaired cognitive control and reduced cingulate activity during mental fatigue.” Cognit. Brain Res. 24 (2): 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.01.018.
Lorist, M. M., M. Klein, S. Nieuwenhuis, R. de Jong, G. Mulder, and T. F. Meijman. 2000. “Mental fatigue and task control: Planning and preparation.” Psychophysiology 37 (5): 614–625. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8986.3750614.
McHugh, M. L. 2013. “The chi-square test of independence.” Biochemia Medica 23 (2): 143–149. https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2013.018.
Meijman, T. F. 1997. “Mental fatigue and the efficiency of information processing in relation to work times.” Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 20 (1): 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-8141(96)00029-7.
Purnell, M. T., A. M. Feyer, and G. P. Herbison. 2002. “The impact of a nap opportunity during the night shift on the performance and alertness of 12-h shift workers.” J. Sleep Res. 11 (3): 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2869.2002.00309.x.
Reiner, B. I., and E. Krupinski. 2011. “Demystifying occupational stress and fatigue through the creation of an adaptive end-user profiling system.” J. Digital Imaging 25 (2): 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-011-9441-7.
Rosekind, M. R., R. M. Smith, D. L. Miller, E. L. Co, K. B. Gregory, L. L. Webbon, P. H. Gander, and J. V. Lebacqz. 1995. “Alertness management: Strategic naps in operational settings.” Supplement, J. Sleep Res. 4 (S2): 62–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.1995.tb00229.x.
Scott, J. P., L. R. McNaughton, and R. C. Polman. 2006. “Effects of sleep deprivation and exercise on cognitive, motor performance and mood.” Physiol. Behav. 87 (2): 396–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.11.009.
Sharpe, D. 2015. “Your chi square test is statistically significant: Now what?” Pract. Assess. Res. Eval. 20 (8): 1–10.
Short, T. A. 2014. Electric power distribution handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Spies, C., and R. G. Trohman. 2006. “Narrative review: Electrocution and life-threatening electrical injuries.” Ann. Internal Med. 145 (7): 531–537. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-145-7-200610030-00011.
Spurgeon, A., J. M. Harrington, and C. L. Cooper. 1997. “Health and safety problems associated with long working hours: A review of the current position.” Occup. Environ. Med. 54 (6): 367–375. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.54.6.367.
Techera, U., M. Hallowell, N. Stambaugh, and R. Littlejohn. 2016. “Causes and consequences of occupational fatigue: Meta-analysis and systems model.” J. Occup. Environ. Med. 58 (10): 961–973. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000837.
Tixier, A. J. P., M. R. Hallowell, A. Albert, L. van Boven, and B. M. Kleiner. 2014. “Psychological antecedents of risk-taking behavior in construction.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 140 (11): 04014052. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000894.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2015. “Census of fatal occupational injuries summary, 2014.” Accessed March 21, 2016. http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm.
US Department of Labor. 1996. “OSHA priorities—Power transmission and distribution in construction.” Accessed March 21, 2016. https://www.osha.gov/archive/oshinfo/priorities/power.html.
US Department of Labor. 2015. “Electric power generation, transmission and distribution standard.” Accessed March 22, 2016. https://www.osha.gov/dsg/power_generation/index.html.
US Energy Information Administration. 2016. “Electricity data browser—Net generation for electric power.” Accessed March 7, 2016. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data.cfm.
van der Hulst, M., and S. Geurts. 2001. “Associations between overtime and psychological health in high and low reward jobs.” Work Stress 15 (3): 227–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/026783701110.1080/02678370110066580.
van der Linden, D., M. Frese, and T. F. Meijman. 2003. “Mental fatigue and the control of cognitive processes: Effects on perseveration and planning.” Acta Psychol. 113 (1): 45–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-6918(02)00150-6.
Vries, J. D., H. J. Michielsen, and G. L. V. Heck. 2003. “Assessment of fatigue among working people: A comparison of six questionnaires.” Occup. Environ. Med. 60 (1): 10i–15i. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.60.suppl_1.i10.
Yaggie, J., and W. J. Armstrong. 2004. “Effects of lower extremity fatigue on indices of balance.” J. Sport Rehabil. 13 (4): 312–322. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.13.4.312.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 1 • January 2019
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 17, 2018
Accepted: Jun 27, 2018
Published online: Nov 9, 2018
Published in print: Jan 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Apr 9, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.