CAUSATIVE FACTOR ON FATIGUE LEVELS IN COPPER AND GOLD ORE MINE PROCESSING WORKERS

CAUSATIVE FACTOR ON FATIGUE LEVELS IN COPPER AND GOLD ORE MINE PROCESSING WORKERS

ABSTRACT

Fatigue has a significant impact on the economy of a region. This is because it leads to absenteeism, decreased productivity, health costs, and accidents. It is a complex thing, primarily caused by 2 factors, including fatigue related to work and not related to work. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors associated with the fatigue level in copper and gold ore processing workers. It uses a cross-sectional design with the Industrial Fatigue Research Committee (IFRC) questionnaire to measure the fatigue level and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) of 260 respondents who work in the copper and gold ore processing firm. The results showed that 1 worker (0.4%) experienced severe fatigue, and 12 workers (4.6%) moderate, 243 (93.5%) mild fatigue, while only 4 (1.5%) were not affected. Additionally, there is a significant relationship between fatigue levels with sleep quality. In conclusion, poor sleep has the potential to increase fatigue in workers. Companies need to provide training related to the management of fatigue and sleep quality for workers.

Keywords: fatigue management, fatigue level, IFRC, PSQI, sleep quality

Introduction

In the current industrialization era, humans are required to offer high productivity in order to boost the economy. This is certainly accompanied by technological advancements to fulfill work efficiency and optimization. As technology advances, potential hazards in the workplace might cause risks to workers, such as injuries or health problems ⁽¹⁾.

Generally, potential hazards and risks can be caused by several factors, including chemical, physical (mechanical, electrical or displacement and lose energy), and biological, ergonomic, and psychological issues. ^{(2) (3)} Fatigue is one of the common work safety and health problems faced by workers. ⁽⁴⁾ It is a symptom of feeling lazy that is characterized by the weakening of body activity and an imbalance. Additionally, a person’s desire for physical and mental activity is often reduced due to dizziness (5). From the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia Number 102 of 2004 on time and overtime wages, workers have 8 hours daily and 5 days of work in a week ⁽⁶⁾. Moreover, based on the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 13 of 2003 manpower, workers are entitled to at least 30 minutes of rest after working continuously to protect their safety and health ⁽⁷⁾.

Fatigue is a complex condition that is primarily caused by 2 factors. Work-related factors include work schedules (overtime, shifts, rest periods, work hours), workload, design, and environment (lighting, work climate, noise). There are also factors not related to work, including travel time to workplace, social and family life, sleep quality and quantity, physical and mental health conditions (illness, psychological, lifestyle), community activities, age, and nutritional status ^{(5)(8)(9)(10)}.

Fatigue has a significant impact on the economy since it leads to absenteeism, decreased productivity, health costs, and accidents. ⁽¹¹⁾ The condition affects more than 20% of the working population. It causes a loss of more than $ 136 billion due to lost productivity and annual health care costs in the United States. ^{(12) (13)}.

Based on the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources 1827/30 / MEN / 2018, there are four points in the management of work fatigue in the mining industry that needs to be implemented. This includes identifying, evaluating and controlling factors that cause fatigue, providing training and socialization on knowledge of management and prevention of fatigue, especially for an individual with shifting work hours, regulating mine shift patterns, and assessing and managing levels of the condition before the start of the shift and while working ⁽¹⁴⁾.

Generally, workers spend 10 to 12 hours per day. The travel time to the workplace is quite long, and their activities involve a lot of physical and different work patterns. There is limited research on the processing of copper and gold ore. Therefore it is necessary to do an assessment to find out the fatigue level and factors related to its incidence in the mine processing workers.

Method

This research uses a cross-sectional design to observe the risk factors associated with the incidence of fatigue. It was conducted on miners in the copper and gold ore processing division from October to November 2019. A total of 260 sample workers were selected using the cluster random sampling method. Table 1 shows the sample distribution in the research.

Table 1. Sample Distribution

Table 2. Frequency Distribution of Work-Related and Non-Work Related Factors

The study used Industrial Fatigue Research Committee (IFRC) questionnaire to measure the level of respondents’ fatigue with 30 questions ⁽¹⁵⁾, The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire to measure respondents’ sleep quality consisting of 9 questions ⁽¹⁶⁾, short interviews, field observations, and lighting measurements in the work area. Additionally, secondary data on manpower, work shift systems, accident reports, and fatigue prevention programs were collected. The data obtained were processed quantitatively and qualitatively to describe the fatigue level and its relationship with factors related to employment and not related to work.

Result

The distribution of work-related and non-work related factors in copper and gold mineral processing miners in four departments (maintenance, operation, resource management, and technical services) is listed in table 2. The data on the fatigue level, sleep quality and quantity, marital status, age, body mass index, having children, residence, and travel time, work patterns, length of service, and lighting.

Almost all respondents experienced mild fatigue (93.5%), with the sleep quantity <7 hours (76.2%) and quality (58.8%). Most respondents were aged <35 years (51.9%), with dominance body mass index categorized as not at risk (60%). Besides, most of the respondents reside in ridge camp (74.2%); therefore, the travel time to work is only <30 minutes. Also, 71.9% of respondents are married, with 61.2% having children. Nearly three-quarters of respondents work on a non-shift system (74.6%) and work period of <5 years (61.5%).

Data analysis tested by Spearman Rank Correlation showed there was only 1 variable related to fatigue level, sleep quality (p-value = 0.035 at <α = 0.05), as shown in Table 3. On the lighting variable, there was no bivariate analysis since the data obtained were homogeneous. All areas were in line with the Minister of Health Regulations No. 70 of 2016 on Health Standards and Requirements for Industrial Work Environment. ⁽¹⁷⁾ Therefore statistical tests could not be carried out

Table 3. Bivariate Analysis Results

Discussion

Overview of Fatigue Levels

The fatigue level is measured using a questionnaire and observation in the field with 30 questions on symptoms of fatigue. It is divided into three categories, including the weakening of activities, weakening of motivation, and physical exhaustion. Each category has 10 questions with four answer choices (never, sometimes, often, and very often). ⁽¹⁵⁾ From 260 workers who filled out the questionnaire, 1 (0.4%) experienced severe fatigue, 12 workers (4.6%) medium, 243 workers (93.5%) mild, while 4 ( 1.5%) were not affected.

Factors Unrelated to Work

There is a significant relationship between sleep quality with fatigue (18).  Based on observations and interviews, workers often experience difficulty falling asleep for <30 minutes. They have quantity sleeps of <7 hours and wake up in the middle of the night. Quality sleep includes more resting time on bed and involves falling asleep less than 30 minutes from the time one goes to bed, and wake up not more than once per night. ⁽¹⁹⁾ Besides, there are other activities carried out by roommates for shift workers, which disrupts sleep and makes the room unsuitable environments. Poor sleep quality makes individuals tired since the recovery of the body is disrupted ⁽²⁰⁾.  Sleep quality relates to constant chronic fatigue, which makes a recovery with rest difficult  ⁽²¹⁾. Also, the condition starts with acute fatigue, which lacks sufficient recovery.  ⁽²²⁾ Specifically, for shift workers, the sleep quality with enough time in the morning is not the same as sleeping at night since it counteracts the circadian rhythm⁽²³⁾.

According to the statistical test results, there is no significant relationship between sleep quantity and the fatigue level, which is in line with other studies. ⁽²⁴⁾ Based on observations and interviews of workers, the majority of workers (76.2%) often sleep late, specifically <7 hours. Besides, from 76.2% of workers with  <7 hours sleep,  57.1% had 6 hours. Some workers wake up even earlier if they fall asleep early because they are used to this pattern. Also, the sleep time needed for adults is 7 to 8 hours. Otherwise, there will be a sleep debt. ⁽²⁵⁾ Accumulated sleep debt causes a decrease in consciousness, which leads to an increase in the fatigue level ⁽⁸⁾.

There is no significant relationship between the fatigue level and marital status, which is in line with other studies. ⁽²⁶⁾ Based on observations and interviews, some of the gold, copper, and silver mineral processing miners were offered housing facilities to live with their families. Those lacking home facilities often bring their families close to the work location. Moreover, workers who have families outside the island usually take a short leave system. This involves 6 weeks of work and 2 weeks of leave to meet with the family.

Based on statistical tests, there is not any significant relationship between the fatigue level and age, a finding that is also in line with previous studies. ⁽²⁷⁾ Furthermore, workers with age at risk (> 35 years) regulate their work breaks well compared to those not at risk. This is influenced by activities carried out before going to sleep. Generally, individuals who are> 35 years old tend to spend time in the room and contact the family before going to bed. In contrast, those aged <35 years tend to spend time on social activities such as talking with friends outside the room. Based on other studies discussing fatigue in coal operators in Kalimantan, respondents aged> 35 years often experience severe fatigue. This is because the physiological body of people aged> 30 years decreases physically by 1% every year, including the weakening of muscle strength. ^{(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)}

There is no significant relationship between the fatigue level and body mass index (BMI). ⁽³³⁾ Increased BMI reduces sleep duration ⁽³⁴⁾, and therefore individuals feel tired. BMI has a positive correlation with sleep apnea, meaning that in case it increases, the severity of sleep apnea also increases ^(35). Besides, someone with a thin body is often affected by a lack of sleep and not feeling refreshed after resting ^{(36) (37)}. The absence of a significant relationship between the fatigue level and worker BMI can be attributed to weight and height that is not measured directly. This is due to limited time and conditions in the field to fill the questionnaire.

Also, there is not any significant relationship between the fatigue level and residence. ⁽²⁸⁾ This is because workers live near the worksite more compared to other locations. The company concentrates on the site of housing in an area called the ridge camp. This is an exclusive residence for highland workers, and the camp has a lot of rooms. Moreover, workers who carry out strenuous activities, such as in the maintenance division, reside in the ridge camp, and therefore they do not require a long time to arrive at the worksite.

From the statistical tests, there is also no significant relationship between the fatigue level and the travel time. ⁽²⁸⁾ Travel time greatly affects the mood and psychological state of workers. Individuals who take more than 30 minutes reduce the duration of sleep each day and trigger fatigue compared to those traveling less than 30 minutes. ⁽³⁸⁾ The lack of a significant relationship between travel time and the fatigue level is attributed to the location of the residence, which is relatively close to the workplace. Most workers (74.2%) only takes 15-30 minutes to arrive at work. For those using the bus need more than 30 minutes to arrive at work, though they often use that time to sleep along the way.

Further, there is no significant relationship between the fatigue level and having children. ⁽³⁹⁾ Workers with children have less sleep, and this might increase fatigue ⁽³⁹⁾. Also, workers often use their free time during lunch hours and before going to bed to contact their families and determine children’s development. According to some workers, this is helpful to motivation and which helps them stay focused. Therefore, the decrease in sleep time can be caused by other factors such as social and family activities ⁽⁴⁰⁾.

Factors Related to Work 

There is a significant relationship between the fatigue level and length of service, with both positive and negative effects. The positive impact is reducing pressure and increasing work performance, while the negative involves the accumulation of righteousness received from workloads, which lessen the physiological functions of the body (41). Furthermore, workers with long working periods manage their rest patterns well and are accustomed to their work activities

Statistical test results found no significant relationship between fatigue and work patterns. Working in the morning risks having sleep deprivation since individuals have to get ready and wake up early to work ⁽⁸⁾. However, working at night also risks drowsiness since it counteracts circadian rhythms. Melatonin hormone secretion causes fatigue. This is because the hormone is released by the body 2-3 hours before bedtime. The increased level remains high throughout the night but decreases in the morning. The reduction in the level of the hormone indicates the body needs to wake up. ⁽³⁵⁾ Individuals who work on shifts often have difficulties sleeping during the day due to other activities in the rooms. However, steady day workers sometimes sleep in the morning since they wake up too early. This can be overcome by going to bed early, not carrying out too many activities after work and sleeping on the bus.

Conclusion

Workers at copper and gold mineral processing mines who experienced mild levels of fatigue were 93.5%. Workers who have poor sleep quality by 41.2%. There is a significant relationship between the fatigue level and sleep quality. With poor sleep quality, there is a tendency to experience fatigue. Companies need to overcome this issue through fatigue management training. This acquaints workers with factors causing fatigue. Applying a curfew system and written regulations on what is allowed in the residence limit other activities that interfere with workers who want to rest. As a form of socialization and education program, companies need to form posters and videos that contain fatigue and sleep management materials and maximize safety break programs in all work areas.