OMAHA, Neb. — The nation’s largest railroad has produced a classroom video to illustrate the effects of fatigue, hoping it will be a wake-up call for America’s increasingly weary youth, reports a wire service.
Titled “Z-9 Adolescents and Sleep,” the 10-minute Union Pacific Railroad video draws on experience of the railroad, which runs 24 hours a day and requires some people to work at night.
Though the tape opens on a humorous note — showing youngsters struggling to wake up their parents to get them to work on time — the message is serious, said Denny Holland, director of occupational health psychology at Union Pacific.
“Fatigue and sleep deprivation is a growing problem in our society,” Holland said.
Teenagers generally need about nine hours of sleep each night. In reality, distractions and demands like television, the Internet, homework and part-time jobs have cut the average night’s sleep for youngsters to about 6 hours, Holland said.
“They might be doing a lot, but their mood is not as good,” said Drew Dawson, director of the Center of Sleep Research at the University of South Australia. Dawson, who has consulted with the railroad and appears on the video, said sleep deprivation hurts performance while increasing irritability and stress.
The problem of fatigue came to a head for Union Pacific in 1997, when three train collisions killed a total of seven people.
A subsequent federal government investigation found causes of the crashes included tired and overworked Union Pacific employees.
Union Pacific responded by hiring more workers, allowing nap times and including entire families in discussions about the need for employees to get their rest.
The family discussions led to the kind of information in the videotape that is aimed at teenagers, railroad spokesman Mark Davis said.
“The next logical step in helping the family is adolescents,” Davis said, adding the advise also makes good business sense. “By helping the family we’re also developing potential employees,” he said.
Video production began about two years ago after Holland spoke about the consequences of fatigue at a high school health class. The children and teachers were enthusiastic about the topic and the railroad wanted to reach a broader audience with what it had learned about fatigue, Holland said.
The video advises that for a good night’s sleep, it’s important to maintain a healthy diet and regular schedule, exercise, avoid caffeine for three hours before going to bed, and avoid work and worry in the bedroom.
The video, completed in July, was presented to the Omaha Public School District for consideration. Some schools in central Wisconsin also have expressed interest, Holland said.
The video was made in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration as part of the agency’s efforts to keep the nation’s work force well rested and safe, said spokesman Warren Flateau.
“Certainly the FRA has been in the forefront and the railroad industry has been taking the lead in fatigue management,” Flateau said.