Certain working hour arrangements have been linked to work health and safety risks such as fatigue. 

As with other work health and safety issues, employers have a general ‘duty of care’ obligation to ensure that, as far as practicable, employees are not exposed to hazards and risks that could arise from their working hours arrangements, and to address them through a systematic risk management process.

All parties at the workplace have responsibilities for safety and health at the workplace. Apart from the employer’s responsibilities outlined above, employees have responsibilities to take reasonable care to ensure their own safety and health and that of others affected by their work. Where appropriate, workplace education and awareness programs may assist in raising employees’ awareness of their responsibilities, as well as lifestyle and individual choices (such as second jobs) that may contribute to fatigue. 

Consultation between employers and employees and safety and health representatives is an important part of the risk management process to identify hazards before injury, illness or incident occur, and develop measures to eliminate or reduce the associated risks.