Measuring Occupational Fatigue: A Comprehensive Review and Comparison of Subjective and Objective Methods

摘要

Many of the greatest catastrophes caused by human error such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Exxon Valdez occurred after extended hours of work when the levels of fatigue among workers were extremely high. Fatigue, which recent research has identified as a principal precursor of many construction accidents, has not been managed well because the leading and lagging indicators are difficult to measure and manage. This paper provides the first comprehensive overview of fatigue measurement strategies adapted to the construction industry which focuses on both leading and lagging indicators and on subjective and objective metrics using the most recent technology. The paper includes a description of each measurement method, the implementation of the metric, and the reliability and accuracy of the metric based on field trials. Recommendations are presented for the most efficient and reliable means of measuring fatigue based on the validation of the methods and their applicability to the construction industry. These findings will inform the industry and future researchers about how different fatigue measurement tools may be used to serve as indicators of performance, safety, or as variables in an experiment. Finally, this paper reveals areas where additional research can be conducted.