As organizations return to full operations after the holiday period and push into Q1, many OHS managers notice a familiar pattern. Near-miss reports increase. Minor injuries tick upward. Equipment damage becomes more frequent. Workers seem distracted, slower to react, or less engaged with routine safety practices. 

These early-year incidents are often grouped under vague explanations such as "human error" or "inattention." In reality, a major underlying factor is post-holiday fatigue. 

Fatigue is not simply about being tired. It is a physiological and cognitive state that impairs judgment, reaction time, situational awareness, and risk perception. For safety-sensitive workplaces, unmanaged fatigue creates conditions where even experienced workers can make serious mistakes. 

Why Post-Holiday Fatigue Is a Real Safety Risk 

The holiday period disrupts normal routines. Sleep schedules shift. Alcohol and sugar consumption often increase. Family obligations, travel, financial stress, and seasonal illness all compound fatigue levels. For some workers, time off is not restful at all. 

When operations resume, workers are often expected to immediately return to full productivity, overtime, or high-risk tasks. The gap between perceived readiness and actual cognitive capacity is where injuries occur. 

Research consistently shows that fatigue can impair performance to a degree comparable to alcohol impairment. Reaction times slow. Memory and attention degrade. Workers may take shortcuts, miss hazards, or misjudge risk without realizing it. 

For OHS managers, post-holiday fatigue represents a predictable, preventable hazard - one that should be addressed as deliberately as any physical risk. 

How Fatigue Contributes to Injuries and Incidents 

Fatigue does not usually cause incidents on its own. It weakens the safeguards that normally prevent them from being safe. 

Common fatigue-related failures include: 

• Missed lockout or isolation steps. 
• Failure to wear or correctly use PPE. 
• Reduced hazard recognition during routine tasks. 
• Poor communication during handovers. 
• Delayed reaction to alarms or changing conditions. 
• Increased risk-taking and overconfidence. 

Because these failures often involve routine work, they are sometimes dismissed as "complacency." In reality, fatigue reduces the brain's ability to sustain attention, particularly during familiar tasks. 

Fatigue Risks Across Different Worksites 

While fatigue affects all sectors, the risk profile differs by work environment. 

Industrial and Manufacturing Sites Fatigued workers are more likely to misjudge machine speed, bypass guards, or perform incomplete lockouts. Repetitive tasks increase the risk of microsleeps and attention drift, especially on night or rotating shifts. 

Construction and Trades Physical fatigue combined with cognitive fatigue increases fall risk, dropped objects, and tool misuse. Seasonal work, early morning starts, and weather exposure further compound fatigue levels in Q1. 

Transportation and Warehousing Fatigue directly affects reaction time, spatial awareness, and decision-making. Forklift incidents, loading errors, and vehicle collisions are strongly associated with fatigue, particularly after schedule disruptions. 

Healthcare and Emergency Services Cognitive fatigue increases medication errors, documentation mistakes, and patient handling injuries. Emotional fatigue also reduces situational awareness during high-stress interactions. 

Office and Remote Work Environments While injury risk may be lower, fatigue still contributes to ergonomic injuries, errors with financial or safety-critical data, and poor decision-making that can cascade into operational risk. 

Understanding these differences allows OHS managers to tailor controls rather than relying on generic messaging. 

Why Traditional Safety Messaging Falls Short 

Many organizations respond to post-holiday risk with reminders such as "slow down" or "pay attention." While well-intentioned, these messages place responsibility entirely on workers without addressing system factors. 

Fatigue is not a motivational problem. It is a capacity problem. 

Effective fatigue management focuses on work design, scheduling, supervision, and recovery, not just individual resilience. 

Practical Fatigue Prevention Strategies for 2026 

OHS managers can significantly reduce risk by implementing targeted controls during the first weeks of the year. 

Key strategies include: 

• Phased ramp-ups rather than immediate full production. 
• Enhanced supervision during high-risk tasks and first shifts back. 
• Task rotation to reduce prolonged attention demands. 
• Adjusted scheduling to avoid excessive overtime early in the year. 
• Clear expectations that safety takes priority over speed. 
• Encouraging reporting of fatigue without stigma. 

Supervisors play a critical role. They are best positioned to notice signs of fatigue such as slowed responses, irritability, errors, or withdrawal. 

The Role of OHS Managers 

In North America, regulators increasingly expect employers to address fatigue as a foreseeable hazard, particularly in safety-sensitive roles. OHS managers are responsible not only for awareness, but for demonstrating reasonable controls. 

This includes: 

• Incorporating fatigue into hazard assessments. 
• Reviewing incident data for fatigue indicators. 
• Training supervisors on recognizing and responding to fatigue. 
• Ensuring policies allow workers to raise fatigue concerns safely. 
• Monitoring overtime and scheduling patterns. 

Fatigue management does not require eliminating risk entirely. It requires showing that the organization has identified the hazard and taken reasonable steps to reduce it. 

Fatigue Prevention Checklist (Template) 

Post-Holiday Fatigue Safety Checklist 

Fatigue identified as a hazard in Q1 risk assessments. Supervisors briefed on fatigue signs and response expectations. High-risk tasks reviewed for additional controls. Overtime and extended shifts monitored and limited where possible. Task rotation implemented for attention-intensive work. Safety talks include fatigue awareness (without blame). Workers encouraged to report fatigue without reprisal. Incident and near-miss data reviewed for fatigue indicators. Staffing levels reviewed to avoid excessive workload pressure. Follow-up review scheduled after first quarter. 

This checklist can be downloaded to be used annually, and adapted by sector or site.