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Work place/Environment domain
Inappropriate work climate, work areas, work station heights/depths and work centre cause fatigue to the worker. The work centre includes equipment, supplies, storages space and work surface. Any one incorrect aspect will lead to fatigue.
Bartley indicates a number of typically fatigue- producing situations including paced performance; prolonged activity; action in the face of remoteness of goals; frustrating situations; inadequacy; and interaction with the environment- too exacting for a specific body mechanism.
The complexity of fatigue concepts is emphasized by Ryan and Smith (1954:287):
“The term fatigue has been used in many different senses and in fact it is not a term referring to a single unitary phenomenon. Instead it is a blanket term for many different effects of work-all of those effects which are harmful or deleterious, and which are a function of the duration and amount of effort, but which are recoverable through rest. Thus pnly the beneficial effects of exercise and learning, and the drastic effects resulting in permanent damage are excluded from the concept.”
Ryan and Smith suggest four different kinds of effects of work which have been termed”fatigue”:
“1. Feeling of weariness tiredness, exhaustion, unwillingness to continue work, aches and pains attributed to work.
“2. Deterioration in ability to perform the work itself.(Loss of capacity for the work.)
“3. Deterioration in ability to perform other tasks and activities (Transfer of fatigue.)
“4. A large number of physiological changes-in blood chemistry and structure, excretory products, glandular secretions, etc.”
Knowles found some evidence of frustration fatigue in her discussions with homemakers regarding their attitudes toward certain tasks. Some of the reasons given for disliking tasks were:
- Uncertainty and confusion in performance
- Conflicting standards within the family group and inability to satisfy all members.
- Unfavorable working conditions.
- Practices and standards of work conditioned by tradition and in conflict with new developments and methods, and,
- Time required by the task could be used for other more interesting activities.
Thus, we find that there are a number of reasons for frustration fatigue. However, they can be broadly put under three categories. In the first instance, frustration fatigue may arise from the job itself. For example, the inexperienced person whose first pie or first slip cover is something short of success and which might take longer to be completed may feel utterly fatigued.
The long period of work may be the result of interruptions and clutter and so the worker will complain of the feeling of fatigue.
Secondly, fatigue may arise from competition between what one is doing and what one would like to do. The homemaker working at home may feel fatigued when she know that kitty party is in full swing next door which she wants to attend but due to loads of work at home she cannot, so she will complain of fatigue and try to avoid doing the work at home.
Finally, fatigue may arise from something entirely unrelated to whatever one is doing. For example, the homemaker working at home may feel fatigued as she knows her child has not arrived back from the school or a serious illness in the family may make her simple household jobs very fatiguing.
Bartley indicates a number of typically fatigue-producing situations including paced performance; prolonged activity; action in the face of remoteness of goals; frustrating situations; inadequacy; and interaction with the environment-too exacting for a specific body mechanism.
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Participants