It’s very important to remember the importance of Health and Safety at work. For example, employees need to know the risks in their workplace so they can help to mitigate the risk of an accident. The same goes for employers, however, they need to also take into account risk assessments.

There is a link between a good sleeping pattern and health and safety at work, keep on reading to find out what this correlation is.

How are they linked?
A study by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that sleep deprivation contributes to decreased employee productivity at a high cost to employers, with an estimated $1967 cost annually. This shows how important it is to have a good sleeping pattern, for everyone involved in a business.
Keep on reading to learn more about how a good sleeping pattern affects Health and Safety at work.

Sleep Deprivation can lead to decreased workplace safety
Sleep deprivation can have a negative effect on employees’ reaction times and alert levels. As a result, this will have a higher risk of accidents, particularly in construction sites where the risk of injury is greater.

Therefore, a good sleeping pattern can lead to positive reaction times, reducing the chance of injury should a situation occur. For example, if an individual works as a builder, they work with machinery, vehicles, and heavy objects. If the employee has a good sleeping pattern their reaction speeds will be quicker, which could be the difference between an accident occurring or not.

Increased Immunity
Another risk to employers is germs coming into the workplace, leading to a significant number of staff being off sick. This leads to many of the team’s functions coming to a halt, and much of the business will be unable to function normally.A good sleeping pattern will increase an individual’s immunity, decreasing the risk of germs being bought to the workplace. Similarly, an increased immune system will reduce the risk a germ will be passed on to a fellow employee. A good immune system will decrease the time the employee is off sick, too.

Employees will be more upbeat, increasing mood and communication
Another benefit to a good sleeping pattern is the positive effect on mood. An increased mood will lead to the employee feeling more motivated about their work, and they are more likely to engage with their team about general life, as well as work.

Should a situation arise at work with a health and safety situation, if the team has better communication on tasks, then they are more likely to work together to fix a health and safety crisis.

This also accounts for mental health too. If the team feels closer, then they are more likely to open up about their struggles, forming a resolution to the problem quicker.