The impact of rest breaks upon accident risk, fatigue and performance: a review

This review's primary objective is to identify research examining the impact of rest breaks upon accident risk in industrial settings. In the absence of much directly relevant research, the focus is broadened to consider the impact of rest breaks upon performance and fatigue, as well as epidemiological evidence, in both transport and non-transport settings. Relevant studies are identified from a range of electronic sources. In general, regular rest breaks can be an effective means of maintaining performance, managing fatigue and controlling the accumulation of risk over prolonged task performance. While two-hourly breaks are common in many industrial settings, the scheduling of additional micro-breaks can be beneficial under at least some circumstances. While some evidence supports allowing workers to take rest breaks that coincide with periods of heightened fatigue, workers sometimes fail to take adequate breaks when they are needed. There is little hard evidence concerning the optimum length of rest breaks ( other than for heavy physical work), or to support the contention that increased rest-breaks can off-set the negative impact of extending shift durations, or to suggest that rest breaks counteract the negative impacts of circadian variations in alertness, unless they involve taking a nap or caffeine. The scarcity of epidemiological evidence in this area highlights the need for more research.