Being alert is very important on job sites. Whether it's because you are operating heavy machinery, or working several feet up in the air, being tired can easily result in a workplace injury -- or even a workplace death. However, even though fatigue is a known problem, many employers do not have any kind of system to assess and manage the risks related to being sleep deprived.

According to a recently released guidance paper by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, sleep disorders, which can obviously cause fatigue, cost employers around $60 billion a year. This money goes to a number of things, including industrial accidents, medical expenses and a general loss in production.

This is why the same paper is suggesting that more employers adopt a fatigue management system that would be able to collect information related to fatigue hazards, and then analyze the risk of those hazards. The system could also include investigations into workplace accidents, and training and education regarding fatigue for employees.

Of course, while this is a suggestion by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, it's most likely safe to say that not all employers will adapt any kind of policy, and employees will continue to be at risk. Additionally, some employees may also feel a pressure to get their work done, even if they are overly tired.

However, in those situations -- whether there are general rules regarding tiredness on the job or not -- when an accident happens on a job site, the possibility of there being a workers' compensation claim immediately comes into play. But, many times insurance companies will try to push back and deny compensation. Because of this, it's critical to have an attorney who understands the law and worker's rights.

Source: Business Insurance, "Fatigue risk management can improve workplace safety," Robert Ceniceros, Feb. 13, 2012