Minnesota News Network

In a new National Safety Council study, 43 percent of American surveyed say they don’t get enough sleep to lessen risks than can threaten safety at work and on the roads. Minnesota Safety Council President Paul Aasen says, “You start to have decreased cognitive performance. Your brain simply doesn’t work as fast. Some measurements would suggest that less sleep puts you in a state that’s effectively the same as being at .08 with alcohol consumption.”  Aasen says those working in factories double their chance of injury if they only get five to six hours of sleep instead of the recommended eight or nine. He predicts companies will pay more attention in the future to how much sleep employees are getting each night.

Aasen recommends for those who are sleep-deprived, “Trying to have rest breaks of some sort, mental and/or physical, during your work day helps…. Trying to set regular sleep hours. I mean, we do it for our children. Why don’t we do it for ourselves?”  Aasen says if you’re chronically tired, you should seek professional help.

More info in this interview:

Press release from National Safety Council:

National Safety Council: 43 Percent of Americans Admit They May Be Too Tired To Function Safely At Work

97 percent of survey respondents report at least one risk factor for fatigue –

a hidden but deadly epidemic

 

Itasca, IL – According to a new National Safety Council survey-based report, 43 percent of Americans say they do not get enough sleep to mitigate critical risks that can jeopardize safety at work and on the roads, including the ability to think clearly, make informed decisions and be productive. Eighty-one percent of  the probability-based survey respondents have jobs that are at high risk for fatigue – positions that require sustained attention or are physically or cognitively demanding, such as driving a vehicle or working at a construction site, according to the report, Fatigue in the Workplace: Causes & Consequences of Employee Fatigue.

The survey found 97 percent of Americans say they have at least one of the leading nine risk factors for fatigue, which include working at night or in the early morning, working long shifts without regular breaks, working more than 50 hours each week and enduring long commutes. Seventy-six percent of Americans say they feel tired at work, 53 percent feel less productive, and 44 percent have trouble focusing. Fatigued employees are more likely to make safety critical errors that could lead to injury, such as crashing their vehicle.

“These findings are a literal wake-up call: When we’re tired, we can put ourselves and others at risk,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “We hope Americans recognize that impairment stems not just from alcohol and drugs, but lack of restorative rest – fitness for duty starts with getting a good night’s sleep.”

Fatigue impacts most Americans and, in turn, every workforce – too often resulting in disaster. A person who loses two hours of sleep from a normal eight-hour sleep schedule may be as impaired as someone who has consumed up to three beers.[i] An estimated 13 percent of workplace injuries could be attributed to fatigue[ii], and 21 percent of all fatal car crashes – 6,400 deaths each year – are attributed to a drowsy driver.[iii]

The survey – the entirety of which will be released in three separate reports – also found:

• 41 percent work high-risk hours, at least occasionally.
• 39 percent have trouble remembering things at work because of fatigue.
• 31 percent commute 30 minutes or more, which exacerbates the chances of falling asleep behind the wheel.
• 27 percent have trouble making decisions because of fatigue.
• 10 percent do not get regular rest breaks.
• There are geographical trends when it comes to the number of Americans with fatigue risk factors. This survey identified that the South has the highest mean number of risk factors at 3.21, while the Midwest has the lowest with 2.94 risk factors.

The complete report and more information about fatigue are available at nsc.org/fatigue.

[i] Roehrs, T., Burduvali, E., Bonahoom, A., Drake, C., & Roth, T. (2003). Ethanol and Sleep Loss: A “dose” comparison of impairing effects. Sleep, 26(8), 981-985.

[ii] Uehli, K., Mehta, A.J., Miedinger, D., Hug, K., Schindler, C., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., … Künzli, N. (2014). Sleep Problems and Work Injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 18(1), 61-73.

[iii] Tefft, Brian C. (2014). Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Drowsy Drivers, United States, 2009-2013. Washington, D.C.: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

 

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For the second time in under three years, an employee at one of Minnesota’s largest addiction treatment centers in East Grand Forks is accused of sexually abusing a patient. The Star Tribune reports state investigators found violations on two occasions in May at Douglas Place Treatment Center. In 2015, an investigation found the facility’s then executive director sexually assaulted a patient. Officials at Douglas Place and its parent company have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

 

Quick reaction in Minnesota to President Trump barring transgender people from serving in the military. Air Force veteran Jacob Thomas with OutFront Minnesota says the military less than a year ago told people they supported them and wanted them to serve openly.  He says, “To then turn around and say, no, that’s actually not the case, and now that you’ve already come out and already put your trust in us as a service, we’re going to turn around and fire you. I think that’s absolutely ridiculous.”

But John Helmberger with the Minnesota Family Council says, “It would be poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars to fund controversial gender reassignment surgeries when there are so many current mission-critical military needs.”

 

 

 

A U-S Navy sailor from Holding Township who died in the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7th, 1941 is coming home after officials recently used D-N-A testing and other analysis to identify his remains. 22-year-old Navy Fireman 1st Class Elmer Kerestes was stationed on the U-S-S Oklahoma. His remains, buried in a plot at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, were unidentified for 74 years. He’s being returned to Minnesota tomorrow at MSP Airport and a full honors military funeral will be Saturday at Highland Cemetery in Holdingford.

Captain Nathaniel Strandquist, commanding officer of NOSC Minneapolis says, “We are privileged to be able to participate in this event, and consider it a sacred duty to provide final honors to our fallen shipmates. The fact that this is for someone who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor so many years ago proves how seriously our country takes this responsibility.”

 

The latest state Health Department report finds Minnesota’s public drinking water supplies are generally in good shape, although there are problems in a small number of communities. Coliform bacteria were found in 31 systems, and the Health Department’s Stew Thornley says, “This is probably typical in a year, and coliform bacteria itself is not harmful. It’s just an indicator that some things could be in there.”  Thornley says if further testing detects disease-causing organisms, boil orders or even “don’t use” orders could be issued. For information on water quality in your community, contact your city hall.

The report found arsenic levels exceeding state standards in seven Minnesota community water systems and radium in three systems, but officials say they are not emergency situations and are working with local governments to correct it. Six community water systems exceeded state limits for lead. Thornley  says because lead often comes from old pipes in people’s homes, they test for it there, rather than in the distribution system.  He says, “If more than 10 percent of those homes exceed the action level that’s set for lead, then the entire system is considered to be in exceedance and has to take corrective action.”

 

More on the lead problem in this interview with state Health Commissioner, Dr. Ed Ehlinger: