ABSTRACT
Fatigue management was long considered to be a function of limiting time on duty, in truth, the bottom line is that most of the 'fatigue problem' could be resolved simply by ensuring that everyone gets enough sleep and sticks to a somewhat consistent schedule. Putting a formal fatigue management plan in place shows that the risks resulting from sleepy personnel are known and that the organization has chosen to actively counter these risks both on the job and off. The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) published a position paper in 2012 that emphasized the importance of fatigue management for any organization concerned with the health, safety, and productivity of its employees, especially for safety-sensitive operations such as healthcare, energy, and transportation. As it turns out, the sleep experts are increasingly taking their role-model status more seriously, and as a result, well-designed alertness-management programs are being implemented throughout the clinical and research sleep communities.
