Baseball and Workers Compensation

There are a lot of bleary-eyed workers staggering to their jobs across New England and all across America. This year’s baseball playoffs have provided riveting drama (and not just because the Red Sox have miraculously made it to the World Series!). Marathon games have kept fans up well past their usual bedtimes. For those viewing the epic confrontations in bars and restaurants – a rather significant number, we believe -- mid-week consumption of alcohol is far above normal levels. Fans may have difficulty sleeping: if your team wins, you might be too excited to sleep. If your team loses, you might be too upset to sleep.

So what, if anything, does this have to do with workers compensation? Fatigue is an important, if not very well understood factor in workplace injuries. A quick review of Better Health Channel’s description of fatigue reveals that the baseball playoffs have a high potential for increasing fatigue in the workplace. Workers who do not get enough sleep, or who drink more than usual the night before, are more likely to make mistakes as they take on routine tasks in the workplace. All it takes is a moment of inattention to produce an automobile accident, a sliced finger or a slip off a ladder. These euphoric times (well, not so euphoric for fans on the losing side) are full of danger.

So what should managers do? Well, assuming managers and supervisors themselves are getting enough rest in these tumultuous days (based on my personal observations, this is not a safe assumption), they need to keep a closer eye than usual on workers as the latter go about their customary tasks. If they spot moments of inattention, they should talk directly to the worker. Encourage a tired worker to take a coffee break, or vary the work pace. If a worker is suffering from extreme fatigue, send him or her home (but not driving their own vehicle – arrange some other form of transportation!).

It will be interesting to review the industrial accident data for mid-October 2004. I suspect that frequency trends will be up, at least a bit. In the meantime, savvy managers should keep a close eye on the workforce. Good luck…And Go Sox!