The impact of a workplace sleep intervention on safety at work

What is it about?

The authors of this study evaluated the effects of a rigorously designed intervention that was implemented with service members and their supervisors in the National Guard. In the intervention, supervisors learned and practiced behaviors to support their employees’ lives outside of work and sleep. Additionally, employees in the intervention group tracked their sleep with wristwatch devices, received customized reports to learn about their sleep habits, and set goals for improving their sleep. Although the intervention was not explicitly designed to target workplace safety, the authors found that the effects of the intervention extended beyond increased supervisor support for sleep and improved employee sleep, and resulted in better workplace safety outcomes, including value of safety, adherence to safety protocols, and fewer accidents and injuries at work.

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Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash

Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Organizations have a responsibility to protect their employees’ safety, and there is a need to develop new and effective ways to improve safety at work. The results of this study suggest that increasing leader support for sleep, and improving employee sleep health, can in turn benefit workplace safety. Therefore, organizations that invest in supporting sleep may not only promote a more well-rested workforce but may also enable their employees to be safer at work.