Asleep on the job: new study to look at how sleep environment affects FIFO workers’ slumber

A cutting-edge new study will look at how to improve FIFO workers’ sleep after previous research showed 60 per cent were at risk of developing a sleep disorder. The project being led by Edith Cowan University sleep science PhD candidate Philipp Beranek aims to investigate the relationship between the sleep environment and the sleep of FIFO workers. Previous research showed that FIFO workers suffered from a lack of sleep and Mr Beranek said these workers are at risk of developing a sleep disorder. “An interesting observation was that during FIFO workers’ time off they couldn’t catch up on their sleep and they didn’t have perfect sleep,” he said. “They continued to experience sleep difficulties while they were at home as well as on-site.” Mr Beranek said alternating day and night shifts, fluctuating temperatures, poor air quality, loud noises, and disruptive light were all potential factors that disrupted FIFO workers’ sleep. He said sleep disorders were incredibly costly to companies as it affected worker efficiency and performance. “Research from the Sleep Health Foundation found inadequate sleep cost Australia $66.3 billion between 2018 to 2017 so it’s a major issue, not just in the resources sector,” he said. “Improving this situation is in everyone’s interests, so we are expecting this research to lead to individual and organisational changes for the better.” The new study uses an online survey to gauge how the different factors in the sleep environment affected the sleep of FIFO workers. Mr Beranek said survey contributors could also elect to participate in an expanded study in which they will wear a sleep tracker and have an environmental data monitor placed nearby to track their sleep. Current recommendations are for adults to get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Mr Beranek said accumulated sleep loss affected a person’s cognitive function, immune system, and mental and cardiovascular health. He said while the issue did not solely affect Pilbara workers, the causes of disrupted sleep might differ across regions. “The study looks at FIFO workers across Australia but factors that impact sleep may differ from region to region,” he said. “Looking at the Pilbara for instance it gets really hot. In the Pilbara, it could be that the temperature is one of the factors that require addressing.” A 2020 Chamber of Minerals and Energy report estimated there were about 43,000 FIFO workers in the Pilbara. To access the survey or to find out more about the study visit www.sleeproom.au